When Kagome woke up, she knew she wasn't where she was supposed to be. She was supposed to be in a sort-of awkward relationship with Sesshomaru where they both were coming to terms with their feelings for each other, and all the while wanting more. She was supposed to be distracting herself from thinking about mating Sesshomaru, and facing life together with him. She was supposed to not be looking at Rin and wondering what her baby hanyou with Sesshomaru would look like. She was supposed to be calling up Sango on the phone and talking for hours. She was supposed to be working out with Leola and trying not to stress about the Naraku deal.

But when Kagome woke up, she knew she wasn't doing any of that. She was just lying down on her back, bound and gagged, staring at the rotting ceiling of an old house.

Groaning, she shifted in her spot to gain a better view of her surroundings. The house she was in looked like an old abandoned mansion from the inside, with ruined draperies and peeling wallpaper. The floorboards beneath her creaked as she moved and Kagome stilled after inkling her head a few inches to see that she was a few feet away from a hole in the wood.

Okay, think. How do I get out of this? She fought against her bindings until they loosened a bit. Once I get out of this place, where will I go? Squeezing her hands out, she removed the cloth tied around her mouth. I don't have time to think—I just have to get out of this. I have to run.

But as she was untying the rope around her ankles she heard footsteps slowly approaching outside the door. Frantically, Kagome hurriedly tore out of the rest of her bindings and stood, ready to face her attacker. She didn't remember who had taken her or why, but she did remember a sick smile and an odd mirror.

Kikyo's soul began beating deliriously against her own as Kagome summoned her spiritual powers, and swallowed thickly. The door creaked open and Kagome stood with her legs apart in a ready position. She was prepared for a fight, but as she saw the toe of a shoe slide past the open door, she briefly wondered if she should've hidden instead.

Hayate entered the room and shut the door behind him. His hair was cut short and he was wearing obviously grubby clothes, and definitely not who Kagome was expecting.

"Where's Naraku?" She paused, shut her mouth after opening it and gestured towards him. "I mean, sure I had a slight suspicion you were working with him, but umm, where is he?"

Hayate smirked. "Kikyo didn't tell you, did she?"

The second Kagome heard his voice, she flinched. It was… darker, somehow. More sinister, in a way.

"No," she furrowed her brow and stepped away from him. He abled closer to her and she moved away again, displeased with the way he was making her move but unwilling to stand her ground near him.

Hayate's face twisted into a smile and she suddenly knew—remembered—who had been holding the mirror.

"We'll have to remedy that," and he lunged forward, pushing her to the ground, and shoving her down the hole in the floor.

Kagome's head connected with the floor and a breath whooshed out of her lungs, but she fought the unconscious haze that drifted in front of her mind. Leaning onto her elbows, she almost stood, except for in the back of her head she heard Kikyo's voice.

"Wait, Kagome, let me explain."

She was in a dark place, devoid of color, save the one lamp in the center of the room. Seated next to it, was Kikyo, seated in the traditional position with her hands folded properly. Kagome, after taking a brief second to adjust to the odd place and rapid change in scenery, sat opposite the dark haired woman and waited.

"It seems you're in a foul position, Kagome."

Kagome blinked, and looked at Kikyo in the eyes. Her brown ones were exactly the same as in her memory, and she felt comforted by that. This was Kikyo, her longtime friend, her soul sister.

"Yeah, I am. I don't really know what to do, to tell you the truth."

Kikyo nodded. "I found that in my day, I was always self-assured, except when it mattered the most. You were never like me, though."

She paused when Kagome shook her head. "Kagome, you may think I was a better shikon miko than you, but that is not true. I've heard every complaint you've made, and you have been strong to bear the weight of a predecessor, but you must remember that you are doing well as the new protector of the shikon."

"I'm not powerful," Kagome said regretfully, "and I make a lot of mistakes. I know I'm trying my hardest, but Kikyo, I'm so confused."

"The shikon chose you for a reason. Don't ever doubt that."

Kagome pursed her lips, choosing diplomatically to agree to disagree silently.

Kikyo sighed, and in one moment, it looked as if the woman bore the weight of the whole world. "I have tried to help you live your life to the fullest. You always seemed like the daughter I never had, but even still, I have created so many burdens for you. And I have done you an even greater disservice to you by not telling you about them. There are so many things I never told you about, and maybe it was because I was ashamed—I couldn't say. But now, I must tell you."

Kikyo's eyes were solemn when she looked at Kagome.

"I'll start at the beginning. Near the end of the Great War with Naraku, my mother became pregnant by a monk she had met. The pregnancy wasn't common news because it was out of wedlock, but I had heard about it. Because of that, she didn't fight alongside Rin and I in the battle.

But as I left my body to depart into the next world, I could see my mother in labor. I saw Rin's soul, floating next to mine, and I also saw Naraku's." Kikyo frowned, "It isn't easy to explain death to someone who has only ever lived, but for me, I drifted for a bit before I felt a pull on my soul towards the heavens.

And during the time I drifted, I made a plea to the Kami. You may not remember, but you were the one that answered my call." Kikyo shuddered, and shed a single tear out of one eye.

"I was so selfish, Kagome," she whispered, and Kagome was shocked. She had never seen the older woman, who seemed so other worldly, in such a weak state.

"I asked you to give me your soul, and you did, because you didn't know any better. You were the child my mother was laboring over, you were the one who was going to be born only minutes after my death. But I selfishly robbed you of that life, and I took you away from our mother, who died of a broken heart shortly after."

Kikyo paused, cleared her throat, and continued. "To make a complicated matter simple, it is because you were to be born of my mother that we are soul sisters. That is not the only way to become soul-bonded to someone, and there are many types of soul-bonds, but it is not my place to speak of them at this present time. Simply, you, Rin and I are all soul sisters, and because I forced your soul to be born again, Rin's soul needed to be reborn too. She had been drifting towards the heavens when I called upon your soul, and so I selfishly robbed her of peace so that my wish could be fulfilled.

So, I am sorry. More sorry than you could comprehend, but I do not regret it." Kikyo nodded firmly, and straightened her back.

"There was one complication I did not foresee, though. In calling a pure soul like yours to be born into a different body, the Kami needed to reincarnate an equal and opposite evil soul. So they placed Naraku, the other soul who had been drifting with us, in the body of a newly born baby boy named Hayate.

In the beginning, Hayate and Naraku had a relationship similar to ours. Naraku could show Hayate his memories, and speak to him, but could not control his body because one body can only have one soul. As he grew, though I am now sure when or how, Naraku gained control of Hayate's body, and Hayate has not lived wholly as himself since."

Kagome shivered at the thought. After a moment of silence, she raised a finger and captured Kikyo's attention. "I'm sorry, there's something I don't understand. If this all happened five hundred years ago, why did it take until now for us to be reborn again?"

Kikyo lifted a delicate brow, "Who can say? The Kami work at their own pace… and time for them does not run as time for us does."

Kagome rubbed her lips for a moment. "I want to know about my powers, too. Why can't I reach the power the shikon no tama left me? You told me a long time ago that I had a reservoir of power that it just gave me, or something, and I just want to understand why I can't control my powers properly."

Kikyo tapped a finger on her cheek. "That is where we are different, Kagome. While we are very much the same, I have always been confident in my actions, where as you only appear to be. You have a hard time making decisions, and are motivated by only a very few things."

The room began to fade and Kagome reached a hand out to Kikyo, grabbing hold of her. "Tell me—quick! I don't know how much more time we can talk to each other!"

Kikyo smiled wistfully. "You always were very stubborn and hot headed when you became motivated, however, contrary to me who was always calm. Look at how well you have been raising Rin. That's a small feat itself."

"Tell me, please," Kagome begged desperately as the room faded even further into a gray haze.

"What I'm trying to say, Kagome, is that when you are properly motivated you perform well. You will be able to use the powers when you need to. But otherwise, you simply must make by with your own."

Here's another chapter! Enjoy the last bits of summer (even if you are like me, and have to return to school, and the idea is absolutely groan-worthy). Hope you enjoyed, and please tell me what you think of it!

All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.