Chapter Twenty-four: One and the Same

Kagome got into the car with everyone else as Miroku asked for her keys.

"You do know how to drive don't you?" she asked as she forced herself to hand them over and he took them brightly.

"Of course I do," he began as he opened the car door, but Sango stepped over and snatched the keys from his grasp.

"Actually," she said firmly. "I'll be the one driving. We don't want any more accidents," she looked at Kagome and said. "Don't worry about him. He just likes going real fast and the last time he drove, he nearly ran three other cars and a bus off the road."

"How can you almost drive a bus off the road?" Kagome couldn't help but ask in astonishment as everyone got in and pulled out of the parking lot. "What were you driving? A semi?"

"Oh, that's an interesting story," Shippo said as they made their way down the highway. The trip was surprisingly short, but long enough for them to tell Kagome of the dangers of the road and how Miroku thought that there were some beautiful women on board who were being held hostage.

"You are an idiot," Kagome said to Miroku who was practically drooling when he out the window to see a pair of girls in a convertible. "You know that right?"

"You wound me," he chuckled as Sango turned off the freeway and down a smaller and quieter road.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, suddenly worried as the sounds of the heavy traffic disappeared behind them.

"Our home," Sango muttered simply. They drove onwards, Shippo and Rin often talking about some story they did and they didn't stop until they reached a dark patch of dirt road and turned onto it. They drove on for another 15 minutes, the trees looking a little bent and crooked and caused the road to look even darker than necessary. Until at long last, they spotted the only house they'd seen on this lonely little road.

Kagome wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe Dracula's castle or some crumbling old ruins like a dungeon? Some type of dark mansion that caused little kids to run from in terror… a freaky graveyard with a large mausoleum? The Cullen's house? What she didn't expect to see a large manor sitting up on a hill.

Well, it certainly wasn't a modern house… but it wasn't Dracula's castle or a haunted one either. It looked like something you would see from the late 1800's… a long wooden house that had to be filled with dozens of rooms… it looked like a place where some rich lord had once lived and thrown parties for his guests.

Kagome thought that it was a bit of an elegant beauty… for some reason, it almost felt like home.

They pulled into a long driveway and they all got out of the car. When Kagome got out and stretched her legs, she looked up the worn-out looking stone steps that led up to the large, aged oak door. They walked up those stairs and through that door. It led immediately to a long and thin corridor that was riddled with dozens of closed doors.

"This way," Sango said smiling. "And don't worry; we'll give you the grand tour later." She looked to the kids and said, "Why don't you both play for awhile?"

"Why can't we come to?" Shippo demanded.

"Because we'll be doing some boring meditation," Miroku answered smiling. "But if you rather come with us and sit there being quiet until you feel like you're about to cry then…"

He didn't need to say anything else because Rin and Shippo both turned and disappeared around the corner of the house in a flash.

Once they were gone, Kagome turned to Miroku, "You sure know how to clear a room."

He grinned wickedly at her as Kagome looked over at Sango and asked, "Meditation?"

Sango gave her a gentle look. "You'll see." They all walked together down the long corridor until Sango reached one door on the left side.

"This one," she said as she turned the highly polished, brass doorknob. Inside was a large room with dark wooden floors, and wide windows that were open and a light breeze was drifting in. This was large enough to have thrown something like a ball almost… and Kagome was willing to bet that maybe it had once held many parties in its day. But Kagome couldn't understand what they were going to do with her as she watched the white curtains flutter from the open windows.

The room was almost completely empty. The only things there were some large white candles on the floor, and some strongly burning incense that burned her nose. "What is this?" she coughed as she waved her hand in front of her face to try and get rid of the smell.

Miroku sighed as he walked in and sat down in front of the candles, his back to her.

"We brought you here so that you might be able to see a part of your past," Sango said as she pulled Kagome into the room and led her over to the candles on the floor.

"Are we going into this again?" Kagome sighed. "I keep telling you…"

"Kagome?" Miroku said quickly. "This is important. If you still don't believe us by the end of our little experiment then I promise we'll let the matter drop. But please just bare with us for a minute."

Kagome gave him an annoyed look, but she sat down across from him, with Sango on her other side so that they formed a triangle. "Alright," she said as she folded both her legs and her arms. "What is it that we're supposed to be doing?"

"Just open your mind and listen," Miroku said almost soothingly. He laid his palms out, facing up, on his knees and took several long, deep breaths. Kagome, seeing that Sango was also doing this, she should as well. She laid her hands on her knees just as Miroku was doing and sat there, feeling stupid.

"Good," Miroku said almost lazily as he closed his eyes. "Just start breathing… take a deep breath, count to ten and then breath out… then repeat it… let your muscles start to relax…"

Kagome did as she was told. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath—and almost gagged on the smell from the incense… but funnily, the fumes she was breathing in seemed to make her feel light-headed… almost sleepy. She repeated the process… feel herself drifting in and out of herself…

"Memories we can fade…" Miroku's voice said after a long time of quiet breathing. "But we can never forget. Go to sleep…"

"I am asleep…" Kagome whispered, and for some reason Inuyasha's face appeared in her mind, "I think this has to be a dream…"

"Not a dream…" Miroku spoke again as if he was standing far away across a distance shore. "Memories… now go deeper… think… dream…"

Kagome had no idea what they wanted from her. She kept her eyes shut and concentrated on her breathing… that was when it happened.

She strayed into her dream.

She was wandering down a dirt road and loving the strong wind that blew her hair around… next, she was in a hut making dinner and was wiping the sweat from her brow as she worked over the fire… she was then picking flowers and plants in a small field as she watched, happily, the men working on their rice patties…

What was happening to her? What was all this?

The next vision she had was where she was sitting underneath a large tree and talking to—she didn't know who she was talking to… only that someone was there with her…

Then she was kneeling before a large shrine… there was a large pink jewel was sitting before her and…

She woke up.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open and she stared around her, gasping for breath. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Sango looking at her with concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she held out a cup of water and Kagome gulped it down greedily. "I… yes… I… what was that?" she gasped once she had enough air.

"What did you see?" Miroku asked her and she suddenly realized that he was on her other side.

Kagome shook her head as she rubbed her temples. "A bunch of things… none of it made any sense… I… I felt like I was someone else. I was in a place that I'd never seen or been to before… I was… like I was watching something from another person's point of view… I… I became someone else. I had no sense of self there. I was just… her…"

"That was Kikyo," Sango explained sadly.

Kagome looked up at her in astonishment. "That can't be…"

Sango hugged her tightly, "You can't run forever, Kagome," she said softly. "Hiding from your past in one place, you'll find it in another. It is waiting for you down the road. You are who we said you are… but you are also your own person—not Kikyo. We believe that you have the power to help us… but only you can decide to do so or not."

Kagome didn't know what to say to that so she just hugged her instead. "I still don't know if I buy this whole priestess thing," she said honestly, though the more she thought about it, the more it began to scare her. "But I'm willing to do what I can to help you."

*Inuyasha's Flashback*

It was dark outside, and rain rippled down his face and the cold water fell like a million teardrops from the overcast sky, touching his body like sharp blades of ice. But he didn't feel anything. For he was cold himself as there was no heat coming from body.

His eyes, empty and cold but at the same time emerged a gold that was made out of pure sunshine rays which reached one's soul. His hair resembled the silvery shine of the stars, as a strong wind surrounded his figure as he stood at the edge of a high building and he was soaked to the bone.

Her scent still lingered itself inside of his nostrils… he was letting this storm try to wash away his pain, the pain he promised to hold inside of him until he found her again. He would wait until she would come again to him, until she would be by his side again, until they could be together forever. And this time, for sure.

He remembered her warm lips pressing against his for the last time…

"Kikyo?" he asked as her pale and beautiful face came into his mind. She smiled at him… he would wait for her… until his final breath… until the world stopped turning…

*End of Flashback*

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open as he looked around him to see that he had fallen asleep. He groaned as he got up and started running in some random direction. He was dreaming about her again—he had been dreaming about Kikyo. Why she continued to haunt his dreams even after 5 centuries, he didn't know. He was empty without her, and his nonexistent heart grieved for her.

But now a new face… her face… was back and haunting him. Kagome… He could smell Kikyo on Kagome, but it wasn't the same. It was both hateful and wonderful at the same time. He was willing to bet that Kagome was indeed Kikyo's reincarnation, but she had a different mind… a different soul. It was almost like seeing a new soul inside of Kikyo's body. It troubled him.

He wasn't sure what to think anymore, so instead, he just kept running even faster, hoping that his problems would disappear if he ran fast enough.

*Later*

Inuyasha soon found himself near a Harbor. He was hiding behind a crate when he spotted men loading and unloading ships and emptied them into old warehouse.

"Come on," Inuyasha moaned. He was supposed to be trying to find hints to where Naraku was hiding, not watching these guys work with fish all day. He could suddenly smell the odor of rotting flesh mixed in with the salty sea air and he gagged at the strong sent. "Oh god." He held his nose. "Why am I even here?"

"Who's there?" someone called.

Inuyasha froze. Just a whisper and he has already been caught. His shoulder was grabbed and he was swung around. Before he could make sense of what was happening, a dark voice cried out, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

*Naraku*

"Are you telling me the truth?" Naraku asked his spy lazily.

"Yes," Goshinki said almost hungrily. "He has been seeing a human girl that looks just like that accursed priestess did." He licked his lips and went on. "She's a real beaut so I guess I can understand that. Makes me wonder if she's as delicious as she looks."

"I knew something was up with that damn vampire!" Naraku replied with a grin. "So… it appears that even after all these years, he still hasn't forgotten his old flame."

"What do we do?" Goshinki asked as he watched his master look out the window.

"Nothing for now," Naraku smiled. "After all… if I am correct, then they must think this girl can help them. Why else would they be bothering with her? Perhaps she can be useful in finding that blasted jewel."

"But if they find the jewel before we do…" Goshinki began, but Naraku cut him off.

"They know that using the jewel to become human again is pointless so long as I am alive," he smiled cruelly. "Even if they find it, they won't be able to do anything with it so long as I live. Just wait and watch. If things go the way that we want, then perhaps, Goshinki… you will get your wish to taste that girl."

Goshinki licked his lips again as Naraku thought a little more about this new piece of interesting information. "What do you know?" he asked himself. "It seems that Inuyasha has a weakness after all. That is the problem with humans… their weak hearts."

He turned back to his servant and said, "Wait for the moment to strike. Before the eclipse arrives, we shall get our hands on that jewel, and feast on all the blood that we desire."

(Finally done with another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. So now, Naraku finally makes his appearance. And Inuyasha was thinking about his old love while Kagome saw a fragment of her past life. Exciting no?)