Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

This is the edited version of the story True Self.

Great thanks to 'debookworm01', my beta for helping me out over here.

I hope you enjoy this chapter…

0o0

"Calm down little one"

Kagome blinked her eyes open to see a demon, an Inu, to be exact. At first she thought she was seeing Lord Sesshomaru, but as she looked closely she could see the changes. The demon had the same shade – perhaps a little bit lighter – of hair, with amber coloured eyes, rather than the whiskey shade of Sesshomaru. He also didn't have the violet crescent resting on his brow, and rather than two jagged magenta stripes, he had one jagged magenta stripe on each side of his face. He looked like a lord.

There was something off, something familiar about him. There was something about him, something that she should know. She felt like she had seen this man before, but where had she seen him? Then her eyes zeroed in on something shiny. And that something was the Sword of Hell… Sounga!

Sounga?

There is only one person in this whole universe who could be able to wield the hellish sword, and that was the Lord Inu no Taisho. With a start she realised, that she was looking at none other than the Great Dog General himself, the late father of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha.

She quickly scrambled to her feet in a daze. She blinked, and then pinched herself to make sure that she was not in some weird dream. The last thing she remembered was running away from Inuyasha and now here she was standing in front of the Great Lord himself – a Great Lord who had supposedly died two hundred years ago. What the...? Was she imagining… hallucinating?

Was she…dead?

She pinched her cheek once again just to be sure, and felt the tell-tale signs of pain at the pinched skin. Confused, she looked at the demon before her. If she was feeling pain, then he had to be real, or people felt pain after death, perhaps? To her the latter seemed like the more likely prospect. Was she killed while she was lying on the forest ground? Was some demon feasting on her body whereas her spirit was somewhere in the afterlife? It did nothing to help her unease.

Before she knew it, she had extended a trembling hand towards the demon. Slowly her hand inched forward, and when finally she felt soft silk in her hand, she felt confused and relieved at the same time. If she was dead, she certainly should not be able to feel anything. Then again she did feel pain before. So was she dead or not? Since she could feel the texture of the cloth, so she must be alive, right? Confused, questioning blue eyes met with amused amber.

And that seemed to be a cue of some sorts, for the demon outright laughed at her. Her face heated up in embarrassment at his outright show of amusement at her state. Worried that she had done something wrong, she just felt all the more embarrassed. Then a soft voice said from behind her, startling her,

"Now, now, little one, there is no need to be embarrassed."

She looked behind her to see a woman, a miko to be exact. The woman had long midnight black hair that reached past her thighs, and fell loosely against her frame and her eyes were a dark green colour so much that they looked almost black. The woman wore armour over her miko garb and also carried a sword at her waist.

Kagome looked questionably at the woman before her. She was sure that she had seen the woman somewhere before. But where had she seen her?

Déjà vu anyone?

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. The woman before her was the great miko, Midoriko, the creator of the Shikon No Tama. Her mind whirled as it tried to process the fact that before her stood the legends of this era – Lord Inu no Taisho and the legendary Midoriko. She really was dead, wasn't she? Otherwise how could she be standing in front of two people who were supposed to be dead for centuries? Before she could comprehend anything else, the question slipped out of her mouth,

"Am I dead?"

Appalled at herself, her hands flew to her mouth. How could she be so rude like this? As if somehow they had read her train of thoughts, both of them laughed and smiled slightly, but she stood there confused, embarrassed and dazed.

Midoriko, seeing the confused look on the younger miko's face, took pity on her and said,

"No little one. You are not dead. And before you ask, let me tell you that we are not alive as well. You are in the Realm of Shadows and in reality we are no more that spirits."

Kagome nodded at the information she had been provided, but still did not understand the situation as a whole. She asked,"…The Realm of Shadows?"

Lord Inu no Taisho looked at the younger miko and answered her query, "Yes, little one. There are three realms in all. The first one is the Realm of Living, which is called Earth. Then there is the Realm of Death, which is called Afterlife. All people who die move on to this realm. But there is one more realm, which is in between these two realms, and it is called Realm of Shadows. People who die sometimes have many wishes which are left unfinished… sometimes there are things which are needed to be done by these people, but by some reason they are not able to finish these things, or tasks. Such souls live here and are reborn once again to complete their tasks and full fill their wishes. Once all of those tasks are completed, they move on to the Realm of Death and are never to be born again."

Here the Inu Lord paused, to see if the younger miko had followed so far.

Seeing her nod, he continued, "We, child, did not part after death. I was chosen by the Lady Fate to train you in the future. But, as you know, I died. Lady Midoriko could not depart, for half of her soul is contained within the jewel and the other half lives in this realm."

Kagome nodded at the Inu Lord, and opened her mouth to ask the question which bugged her, but Lady Midoriko raised her hand to stop her from speaking and said, "Child, first let us finish what we have to say and then you may ask any question you may have."

Kagome nodded in affirmation and Midoriko continued, "I know what you are thinking. Why was my soul split into halves? Why the Inu Lord was chosen to train you? You see, child, when I was trapped into the jaws of the demon, then I had released all my powers onto it as my last form of attack, but soon I realised the power of it was beyond my control, and that power interacted with the whole of my soul, creating an explosion. In that explosion my soul was split into two parts. One half bound the youkai and my powers, thus creating the jewel, and the other half came over here into this Realm."

"As to why Lord Inu was chosen to train you is because as unknown is the future, Lady Fate had seen this that the Realm of Living will be in peril. She had known, once the jewel was created, that the fate of all the Realms will lie on your shoulders. You see, all the three Realms depend on each other to exist, and once the Realm of Living is dead then nothing will exist. She did not wish to take any chances, or what you would call risks, thus she appointed the most powerful Lord to train you and give the Realm of Living a chance – a hope to exist."

Kagome felt her eyes widen as shock and surprise settled over her. Earth, The Realm of Living, was to die, and it was on her to save it? But how? She could not even hold a bow properly. How could she save an entire planet? There must be a mistake, there had to be. She could not do this. Inuyasha himself had said that she was no better than a mere copy. Kikyo was far better than her. After all, she was but a mere copy. She could not do anything. Her chest constricted as her breaths came in shallow pants. She knew she was starting to panic. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop it! How? Why? All these questions rang in her mind. The words of Inuyasha rang like a broken record in her mind.

Kikyo you are even more a powerful miko than Kagome.

I have to save her every time.

She is so weak.

Weak.

Weak!

"Calm Down! Little one! Calm down!"

Kagome glanced up at the Inu Lord as he said something to her. She knew he was saying something to her, but she could not understand what he was saying. It could not be possible. There has to be a mistake. She was but a mere copy. She was no better. She felt her heart clench painfully. It was so hard to breath. Black spots danced in front of her eyes. She was so weak, she could not even breath, and how could she do this –

SLAP!

Pain prickled through her body as redness blossomed on her cheek. She blinked her eyes and looked around her. She was on the ground. What the –? When did she sit here? Her cheek hurt! With a wince she touched her cheek, and found to her utter surprise for it to be warm and prickling. It stung.

She came out of her musings as she felt a heavy hand settle on her shoulder. She looked towards the hand, and then followed it to a blurry figure of white? What?

She blinked her eyes, and to her surprise, felt tears track down her face. Numb with shock she rubbed her eyes and then once again looked at the figure of white to see the worried face of the Inu Lord.

Seeing her blue eyes focus on him Inu no Taisho leaned down towards the younger miko, and helped her stand. After steadying her, he looked at her regretfully and said, "I apologize dear for raising my hand against you like this, but you were not calming down and had stopped breathing."

As he looked at the young miko awaiting her response, Lady Midoriko spoke up, "Child, calm down. There is no need to fret. You are neither weak, nor are you a liability. What Inuyasha said does not matter. You are powerful."

Kagome looked at the Inu Lord, and then at the Lady Midoriko to see both of them looking at her seriously, without a shade of doubt on their face or in their conviction of her.

"But, but it can't be possible. I am but a mere copy. Kikyo… Kikyo is more suitable!"

Inu no Taisho looked at the younger miko with a look of such sadness that Kagome felt horrible, as if she had done something she should not have done. He said, "Child, I do not know what I should do to ask for forgiveness of what my second son has done. I cannot tell you how much ashamed I am to call that boy my son. Little one, I am truly sorry for whatever he has done to you."

Startled, Kagome looked at the Inu Lord and said, "But there is nothing to forgive my Lord! Whatever he says is true!"

Lady Midoriko looked at the miko in front of her, and felt rage settle within her.

"No dear! What he says is not true. You are no copy of anyone. You are your own soul!"

"…My o-own soul? B-but –" Kagome cut off as Lord Inu gripped her shoulder and said with a voice which brooked no argument, "No little one! What Lady Midoriko says is true. We have watched your birth with our very eyes. For us spirits, time is no issue, so we have watched as you were birthed. You have a vast soul, my dear, and you are way more powerful than anyone at this time alive or dead. Yes! Yes dear, even Lady Midoriko, with the whole of her powers cannot even hold a candle in front of you."

Kagome gasped as she heard those words and looked towards the mentioned miko to see her nod in agreement with the Inu Lord. She opened her mouth to protest but it died at her lips as both the Inu Lord and Lady Midoriko raised their hands to her protests.

"Yes dear, what Lord Inu says is quite true," Lady Midoriko said, "you are much more powerful than me. And you are no copy! And before you say that you hold no power, let me clear one thing dear that it is not true."

Lord Inu nodded in accordance to what the Lady Midoriko said, and seeing the dubious and curious look on the younger miko he said, "Little one, there is a block on your power. You would have died if your powers were to be released in whole. That is why I was chosen to train you so I could help you release it and handle it. "

Kagome took in the information and tried to wrap her mind around it all. It was very hard to process everything. A big part of her was intent on thinking that this was all a joke, and both of the legendary figures in front of her would just start laughing at her, and tell her so, but there was a small part in her which hoped that this was not so, and it was all real.

She felt a thought nagging her, and seeing the encouraging looks on the Inu lord and miko, she asked, "If I have my own soul, then what about Kikyo? Does she not carry my soul? Am I not her reincarnation?"

Both of them smiled at her, as if approving. Lady Midoriko looked at her with a gentle look and said, "Little one, that is why because you carry her soul," seeing the curious questioning look on her expression Lady Midoriko continued, "and before you say anything, let me finish. You see child when Lady Kikyo asked to burn the jewel on her pyre. She in her wish to protect and finish her duty bound her soul to the jewel. And when you were born, the jewel was encased within your body. The soul of Lady Kikyo took precedence over yours as your own soul was bound at that time. That is why you look like Lady Kikyo and in some parts you are like her."

"When the dark miko tried to take your soul to animate Lady Kikyo's ashes, she actually pulled at Lady Kikyo's soul. At this moment Lady Kikyo is actually living on that part of her soul and you carry the rest over your own soul. When your soul is unbound and the soul of Lady Kikyo released, your true self will be released."

She felt shock encompass her, she was not a copy. She wasn't a shadow. She felt tears in her eyes. She looked at them to see if they are joking or not. They were not. This…this was not some cruel joke of fate on her, but in reality a truth.

She wasn't a shadow.

She wasn't a copy.

She was her very own self.

Not a reincarnation.

She felt joyed and asked, "So, when can I release myself?"

Lady Midoriko and Lord Inu laughed at her enthusiasm. Lord Inu said, "Patience child. First you must train and learn to handle your powers, and then you will unbind yourself."

She felt confused at that and asked, "But how can I train with my powers if I will not unbind myself?"

Lady Midoriko answered her this time, "Why this is quite simple child. This is after all the Realm of Shadows. Here the bind on your soul is not there and neither do you carry the rest of Lady Kikyo's soul. You will learn about your powers, and when you will once again be in the Realm of Living you will unbind yourself, releasing the rest of Lady Kikyo's soul and gain your true self."

She could not help but notice the emphasis on the 'true self' words. It was as if they knew her true self and it was something quite astounding.

She asked, "Do you know my true self?"

There was a glint in Lord Inu's eyes as he answered, "We told you child. Time is of no essence to us. And before you ask again, let me tell you child. You have to find out yourself and you will in time."

Lady Midoriko continued, "Yes, child. Now come."

As Lady Midoriko said this, she found to her embarrassment that she had yet to get up. She could not help but flush as she got up. Seeing her embarrassment, Lord Inu gave a guffaw of laughter and Lady Midoriko chuckled.

She still felt like she was dreaming, that she would get the training she so desired. As she looked at the Lord and Lady in front of her, she knew that it had to be real. She may have wild fantasies but surely her mind could not imagine such things, and everything they said made sense.

If what they said about her soul was true, then it answered the question as to why Kikyo would need souls of dead women to live, so she could carry on living as before. If Inuyasha and Kikyo insisted on saying that she was but a mere copy, then wouldn't she also need to consume those souls just like Kikyo?

But as she contemplated this knowledge, there was something that bugged her. She looked at Lady Midoriko and then at Lord Inu with a questioning look upon her face, silently asking for their permission. Seeing both of them nod at her, she asked, "If I may ask, My Lord and My lady, why now? Why did you not call me here before?"

Lord Inu and Lady Midoriko both looked at the younger miko with surprise.

Lord Inu said, "We do not know ourselves child. In this Realm, most of the times we are not aware of what goes in the living world. One moment we were there and the next moment we were able to scour the living world and remembered everything. The next thing we knew you are here child. Perhaps, now is the time. No one knows how Lady Fate works after all my dear."

Kagome nodded at this, but asked not understanding, "Why were you not aware?"

Lady Midoriko answered her this time, "Child a soul lives many lives, if we were to remember our lives, and since we have no issue of time. Do you not think a soul would go mad with grief, anger and other emotions if her were to remember it all and to top it off, if a soul would be able to look on the living world, then which life would he wish to see and which not? It could cause much problems, do you not think child?"

Kagome nodded at that understanding. Lord Inu and Lady Midoriko nodded at her, gently smiling.

Lord Inu continued from here, "This is where we ask you little one, that will you take up on our offer to train you? Though, you must know that once you accept you cannot go back."

Kagome looked at Lord Inu as he asked her the question. It was all clear like black and white to her. She had always wanted to train and she knew that she would give anything to train. After all, if the life of so many innocents rested on her shoulders, then the least she could do was do her best. So with a determined nod she said, "I accept. Lord Inu and Lady Midoriko."

"Very well then, child." said Lady Midoriko with a small smile gracing her mouth. Lord Inu nodded in agreement, "We will not go easy on you little one," he warned.

Kagome inclined her head, and then opened her mouth to ask a question bubbling in her mind,

"But how? I don't have much time. I cannot waste it much, after all, if what you say is true, and then I do not have much time on my hands. How will you train me? It will take me years, and Naraku –"

She was cut off as an amused Inu lord raised his hand, and said, "Do not worry, little one. As we said before, time is of no problem to us. We can train you over here for centuries and still it will be but a moment in the Living Realm. We both will train you over here for as long as takes, and before you say it, little one; you will not age here. However, what you will learn here will go with you back to the Living Realm."

Kagome looked at the Inu Lord as he said this, and asked, "So, you mean to say that I can train here for centuries and it will be only a moment in the Living Realm?"

Seeing both of them nod, Kagome beamed at them, and said, "Okay then!"

Let the Training begin!

0o0

So, what do you think?