Title: Rokudo
Author: landofthekwt
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: Reincarnation( The Wilted Rose#31)
Word Count: 1000
CU
Warning: None
Summary: Kikyou's life as seen through Rokudo
A/N Rokudo, means "six paths", a reference to the sixth paths to reincarnation, in other words the six ways you can be reincarnated, which are as a deva, an asura, a human, an animal, a hungry ghost, or simply sent to hell. I found an interesting article on the subject.
I. Human
Once upon a girl was born to a couple in Musashi. They had been told by the fortune tellers that they should name her "Kikyou" since the flower represented "eternal love" The irony of her name was not lost upon her or her master's chief acolyte, Tsubaki who continually reminded her that a miko was not allowed to love like other girls.
Her parents discovered her gift early and she was sent to the temple to train as a miko. Even then she was not allowed the simple childhood pleasures. Instead, she was raised to serve the kami through the rituals and the training of her powers. She was only allowed to return when her parents died to care for her sibling.
They wandered the byways in their training accepting only what they needed to survive. At last they returned to their home where she became the miko of her familial village. It should have been a time of peace. . Instead, it would lead to a loss of all semblance of her humanity.
II. Animal
The coming of the Jewel foreshadowed the death of her humanity. Her path became tainted with blood. She could purify the Jewel, but she could not purify herself. Forced to constantly fight she became little more than an animal. Her life consisted of one fight for survival after another.
It was appropriate that in the midst of this transformation came Inuyasha, a hanyou. Ashamed of his mother because of the weakness he had inherited from he wished only to rid himself of his heritage by becoming fully youkai. .
Her hunger for her lost humanity captured his heart and made him willing to cast aside his own dreams for hers so long as he did not have to be alone. He would become human for her. They would live together as husband and wife. But it was not to be. Both of them would lose their lives in the struggle, she was only allowed to choose the manner of her death.
III. Naraka
She had been prepared for the fires of hell when she directed Kaede to burn the Jewel with her body. The fire burned away all of the animalistic nature which had developed through her association with the Jewel. At last she was able to find peace. The Jewel had granted her wish to end the fighting.
Her soul was at peace knowing that she had carried the Jewel to place where evil doers could not use it for their nefarious purposes. She had done her job as Guardian of the Jewel. Purifying it, protecting it and in the end giving her life for it.
The Jewel was not willing to remain quiet. It felt her lingering affection for Inuyasha This lingering affection caused the Jewel to be reborn with Kikyou when her soul was reincarnated in the body of Kagome. It was not willing to remain in Hell when festering problems created by the Jewel remained unresolved. .
IV. Hungry Ghost.
When Inuyasha spoke her name she was reborn. She had not wanted to be reborn, but once reborn she knew that she would not find peace again in the afterlife until the one who had betrayed her was dead. Once Inuyasha was dead she would return to Kagome's body and sleep for eternity.
But Kagome would not allow it. She saved Inuyasha, but taking back most of the soul which had gone into Kikyou. Kikyou refused to die while Inuyasha still walked the earth. Her anger caused her to use the souls of dead girls to power her body made of clay. She thought she could take Inuyasha to hell with her and then she would have peace, but Kagome still would not let him go.
In a last desperate attempt to rid herself of the person who had interfered with her efforts she attempted to kill Kagome . Inuyasha quashed that attempt by saving Kagome. Kikyou transferred her crusade for revenge to Naraku Only by giving the Jewel to Naraku and purifying could he and Jewel be destroyed.
V. Asura
Naraku had proved too much for revived Kikyou. He had been willing to remove his human heart which cared for Kikyou in order to strike her down. Although she had survived she was still mortally wounded. Even Kagome could not purify her She was driven to desperate measures to give her time to destroy Naraku.
Midoriko was a miko who was killed by youkai. They were alike souls. Fighters against demons who would stop at nothing to destroy the evil. Kikyou used her soul to heal the false body. Together they had a purpose of destroying Naraku and the Jewel. They would use anyone and anything to complete the task even if meant destroying an innocent like Kohaku.
In the end they failed. Midoriko's effort to destroy the youkai had resulted in the loosing of the Jewel upon the world. Kikyou's efforts resulted in her death. Naraku was still alive. The Jewel was nearly complete. All her efforts had only brought Naraku closer to victory.
VI. Deva
It was only by losing her powers that she regained her humanity. The powers which she had been so proud of served a better purpose to maintain the light in the Jewel and within Kohaku's shard. In the end it was this light which Kikyou had sacrificed to maintain which killed Naraku and restored Kohaku to life.
As she ascended she knew that her suffering was ended. All her jealousy, envy and hate was gone. All that she knew was peace, joy and understanding. The peace of the not striving anymore. The joy of knowing one moment of earthly happiness. The understanding of what love truly was.
At last she had reached the point on the wheel of reincarnation when there was nothing that she needed or desired. Someday she would reach Nirvana. Until then she would accept her karma. For now she was truly Kikyou.