#but between Kikyo and Kagome

[hanyo-inu-yasha]

(( between Kikyo and Kagome, there is no contest...

literally.... let's not pit them against one another. I love them equally. Inuyasha loves them equally.

[makersruin]

sorry i just cant stop thinking about the inu/kagome and inu/kikyo ship wars that are still going on in the present day. as someone who isnt invested in it at all (both presently and in childhood) im really fascinated how it managed to stand against the test of time and still be a topic of discussion for 28 years. i'm sure there's more to this that i'm missing because i'm looking primarily at youtube comments which can, at times, be the bottom barrel of the internet but im part not-surprised part alarmed by how the discourse never moved past the standards of writing for female characters in 2002. so much of 'kagome is useless and doesn't deserve him', 'kikyo is a whiny loser who cant give him up', etc etc. has anyone considered that inuyasha might not deserve either of them. ok well thats not true but it also doesn't feel very fair to go band for band on worthiness, which is a kind of meaningless method of measurement on the subject of love, and leave the guy out of it.

when it comes down to it, inuyasha as a story is about a group of people who have been deeply traumatized and cannot move past these traumas until they address the root of it, which is the shikon jewel. the end goal of the story is for them to overcome their pasts. his relationship with kikyo and kagome is exciting and romantic, but they also do the more important job of being representations of the past vs the future. if the story is committed to its thesis, then inuyasha can't be with kikyo. and its not because she's unworthy or a bitch or any of that nonsense, its because kikyo is dead and her soul already reincarnated. kagome is kikyo, not in a literal sense, but in that she is the part of kikyo who has chosen to move on and live. what's left is the bones and grave dirt and regrets of a woman whose life was ruined by the shikon jewel. inuyasha can't be with that. he can't bury himself alive for someone who isn't real anymore, no matter how much he loved her and regrets what happened. this isn't a win for kagome or proof of that kikyo is lesser, its a tragedy that the three of them are going to have to heal from. and when talking about the three of them, any consideration taken away from the weight of that seems like a shame to me.

[diivineray]

Can’t believe it’s 2024 and I still get angry at kagome’s petty jealously towards kikyo

This woman is not a threat to you. She literally can’t move , she’s been hurt and yEAH inuyasha is gonna wanna make sure she’s okay and get her to safety.

He saves you like a bILLION times you sPARE to let him help his first love. They are over. Girl get over yourself 😭😭

[dazzelmethat]

I kinda like but dislike that Rumiko and Sunrise (and fans) have never even mentioned that miko (priestesses) are virgins. And that their shinto ability to tend holy places comes from being unmarried virgins. In modern day I guess it is not really required but I kind of wish more people analyzed Kikyo, the dark priestess, Kaede and Kagome in that light.

Personally I think that due to the era Kagome would not be allowed to remain a miko after getting married and having a child. She would still be one of course due to her spiritual ability, but I think she would no longer be allowed to remain in that societal role.

Kagome is so spunky though that I see her rebelling against it. I think Kagome's strength in being outspoken is another great contrast between her and Kikyo. While Kikyo was confined by society and was only freed from expectation when she became an impure monster. Kagome was outspoken and loud to where she didn't have much of a societal role and yet remained 'spiritually pure.'

There is a huge theme of 'societal expectation' in Kagome, Inuyasha, and Kikyo that I think being a miko is a part of.

Personally I'm torn on Kagome loudly choosing to get married and have a child VS remaining a Miko and Kagome choosing to attempt to do both.

More thematic headcannons in the tag below..

[shinidamachu]

Do you think Kikyo should’ve been nicer to Kagome and thanked her for all those times she saved her? Some of the fandom even thinks she owed her Spiritual training as well, what do you think?

To me, the thing about Kagome and Kikyo's rivalry is that it felt very one sided. Obviously, they both had extremely valid reasons to hate each other's guts at first — reasons that go beyond Inuyasha —, but Kikyo was the only one actually acting on it.

And she kept doing it even after Kagome has proved, time and time again, that she can be trusted and that she is in no way deserving of Kikyo's hatred.

I think that was a great dynamic because Kagome and Kikyo parallel each other so well: while Kagome was strugling with her own feelings in order to understand Kikyo's and accept her as a part of Inuyasha's life...

...Kikyo was fighting to do the exact opposite and hold on to her grudge. You can tell it by the way she can recognize what Kagome's true intentions were but still belittle her for it and refuse to say anything nice to her face.

It's a extremely compelling "yin and yang" sort of thing that worked very well at the start. What happened was that, at a certain point, Kagome has done so much for Kikyo that any ressentment towards her just felt a little ridiculous.

And I'm not even saying Kikyo should've been nicer and thanked Kagome. I think it's perfectly okay for a female character to dislike another. They don't have to be friends just because they're women, especially when there's so much bad blood between them.

In fact, I don't think there's room for a canon friendship there without it feeling awkward and forced — even though Kagome was obviously trying. I also think Kikyo being nice and thanking Kagome would be out of character and honestly a little underwhelming.

After everything that happened, a simple "thank you" doesn't even begin to cover. And as much as Kagome deserved to hear it, she didn't do anything because she wanted to be the better person or for Kikyo to be in debt with her. She did it because she's a good person and therefore will always do the right thing.

In my opinion, it wasn't exactly to Kagome that Kikyo owed anything, but to the narrative, as a way to earn her so called redemption by being held accountable for her actions, which she never really was.

Rather than Kikyo being nicer to Kagome, I think it would've been much better for both characters if Kagome was allowed to tell Kikyo off every now and then without it being an illusion.

And rather than Kikyo thanking Kagome, it would've been way more natural and meaningful for her to die saving Kagome's or Inuyasha's life instead of Kohaku's. It would've shown more regret and gratitude than any words ever could. Everything would come full circle — since she tried to kill them both while they were only trying to save her — and her closure would feel actually earned.

As for the spiritual training thing, I see where people are coming from and in another universe I think it would've been totally cool for them to have a dynamic like Aang and Roku had in Avatar, but again: it doesn't really work in canon.

More importantly: it goes against a theme that was introduced very earlier in the show, which is Kagome being her own person, doing her own thing, aside from Kikyo.

We literally see her trying to channel Kikyo's powers and failing...

...Then just being herself and succeeding:

If anyone was obligated to train her, that's Kaede, but particularly I like the idea of Kagome being self taught and making the moves up as she goes even better. I think it adds a lot to her character, I just wished Takahashi had explored it properly.

Plus, let's be honest: Kagome was doing a fine job on her own. Kikyo was the one making her life a thousand times harder by coming up with those nonsensical plans. In the end of the day it wasn't Kagome who needed Kikyo to defeat Naraku, but rather Kikyo who needed Kagome.

That being said, if Kikyo were to be nicer and thank someone, I think that person should've been Inuyasha and I will die on this hill. He was risking everything he had because she guilt tripped him into thinking he owed it to her.

"You came for me, that is enough" was not a thank you nor an apology. I can understand her reluctance when it comes to Kagome, but I can't justify her treatment of Inuyasha. Not when she was supposed to love him.

[inukag-archive]

Do you happen to have recommendations for stories where Kagome is feeling insecure about Kikyo and InuYasha comforts/reassures her?

Hello @serafeen - one Insecure Kagome fic rec list coming up! We aimed to give a good mix of long and short stories, but either way prepare to have some feelings felt.

Moonlight Reflection by tigerjade (K+)

[COMPLETE] Kagome has a dream about Kikyo and Inuyasha and doubts arise. She runs off in the night to be alone. Inuyasha suspects something is wrong and follows her, something that Kagome doesn't need, but Inuyasha is determined.

--

Darkest Before The Dawn by LunaKat (T)

A bad dream leaves Kagome shaken about deserving her happy future. Inuyasha reassures her of her place by his side.

--

Slipping by paynesgrey (E)

Kagome feels that her relationship with Inuyasha is slipping, even more so with Kikyou's frequent visits. She makes her fears known, and Inuyasha makes a move to reassure her.

--

Requiem by dolphingirl0113 (T)

[Oneshot] Inuyasha, what am I to you? Will you ever be able to see me without thinking of her? If Kikyou hadn't died, who would your heart have chosen?

--

When He Won't Say by Almandine-Azaleea (T)

An innocent mistake leads to a heart to heart between Inuyasha and Kagome.

--

To Walk A Mile In Her Shoes by Kanna37 (M)

Inuyasha runs off to Kikyou again, which results in another fight when he finally gets back - but this time, someone else is listening in, and decides to take things into her own hands. 

--

Weight Watcher by @clearwillow (T)

All it takes is one comment to completely wreck a girl's self-image. Sometimes it can take years to shake that comment and move on. For Kagome, help comes in the form of a foul-mouthed hanyou who tells it like it is... in about five minutes. Slight InuKag fluff. Set after episode 140.

--

Not Good Enough by Wolf Blossom (T)

Kagome sees Inuyasha and Kikyo and decides that perhaps there is no room for her in Feudal Japan. [ONESHOT]

--

The Deception by @fandomobsessions016 (E)

Kagome and Sango have just graduated college, and Kagome is set to return home… to the city. The city she left behind four years earlier. Almost as soon as she arrives and is unceremoniously reacquainted with her ex, Kagome realizes she’s made a mistake. Four years of distance and alleged personal growth have done nothing to tame her tumultuous heart or lessen her pain. Now, she has to confront her agonizing past while traversing through a myriad of emotions as she comes face to face with the very people she left the city to avoid; Inuyasha and Miroku. Thankfully, she has Sango by her side, as not all is as it seems…

--

The Warlord's Tribute by @omgitscharlie (E)

With a kingdom built upon the blood of his enemies, Inuyasha is the leader of the Taisho Clan. A vicious warlord who scours the lands for power and has made a name for himself amongst his rivals. Even as a hanyou, he is revered and looked upon as a king amongst the neighboring villages. Elders near and far come to give their offerings, one of them bringing a young woman with a fiery spirit. Another beauty to add to his ever-growing harem of women. Little does he know, she is more than he bargained for.

--

Behind The Silk Screen by @Eiennobasho (E)

When a twist of fate brings the common-born priestess Kagome to serve Inuyasha, Divine Emperor of Japan, will she be able to help him claim his place on the throne and bring order to their country? Or will court intrigues and their own burgeoning feelings tear the two and their nation apart? A historical romance set in Japan’s Heian Era.

--

Restless Emotions by EmberFalcon (T)

What would happen if Kagome couldn't take the pain? What would happen if Inuyasha actually HAD to choose who he loves more

--

Unexpected Destiny by @splendentgoddess (M)

After defeating their most dreaded enemy and purifying the jewel, Kagome discovers she's trapped in the past. Afraid now that Inuyasha only sees her as a substitute for Kikyou, can he get her to see what's been in his heart all along?

--

Wish For Me by Vesper_ness (M)

Everyone's aware of Kagome's feelings for Inuyasha. What everyone's not aware of is how emotionally invested she is and that the one thing she longs for is Inuyasha's happiness. That wish will be her biggest test of strength. A one-shot on how Kagome deals with Inuyasha's feelings for Kikyou after he goes to see her.

--

Body Language by Fenikkusuken (M)

Kagome still needs some convincing that Inuyasha doesn't see her as a replacement for Kikyo...Rated M for citrus content

Feel free to add your own recs in the comments or reblogs! Check our Masterlist of previous lists to see which topics we've covered.  Check our Submission Guidelines then send us an ask (here).

[authorautumnbanks]

Accidentally Dating (15)

Summary: A series of accidental dates and meetings between Kagome and Satoru over the years.

Pairing: KagomexGojo

Series Master list

Read Chapter 19 of the Side Stories First!

"Suguru!" Kagome yells, waving a hand in the air as she runs over to him. He stops and watches her with tired eyes. She really does not care for how down Suguru looks. Not that she sees him all that often, but he used to have a little more light to him. A little more umph. "Did you just get done with a mission?"

He presses his lips together and then dips his head. "Yeah, I took care of the curse." He stuffs his hands in his pockets as though he isn't quite sure how to act without Satoru there as a buffer.

This is the first time she has seen Suguru without Satoru.

"So, are you all done, then?"

"Uh..."

"Come on!" Kagome grabs his arm and tugs him along. She sniffs. His cologne is similar to the brand Satoru wears, but cheaper? "Do you like games?" There should be some crane games around the block or maybe Suguru would prefer an arcade?

"Uh..." Suguru coughs. "Yes, I like games, but... uh... Satoru isn't around."

"Hm? Oh yeah, Satoru is still busy with his missions. He texted me not too long ago. InuYasha is with him." Kagome rolls her eyes. Those two are always at each other's throats, but whenever Satoru has a mission—which is all the time these days— and InuYasha is around, then InuYasha insists on going with him because Satoru is allegedly lonely without InuYasha's company.

"And you still want to hang out with me?"

"You're Satoru's best friend," she says, confused by what the problem is.

"Ah, but Satoru doesn't want us hanging out together alone."

He doesn't? Kagome frowns. This is the first she's ever heard of this. Okay, well, Satoru complains a lot about Suguru and other men, but he also complains to complain. Still, Suguru's words don't match what Satoru told her. He's worried about Suguru and with all these missions being thrown at him, Satoru hasn't been spending that much time with Suguru.

"I'll send him a message and let him know we're hanging out. And Satoru is just being silly. He thinks you like me." Kagome laughs. Satoru thinks everyone wants her when that is not true. "Besides, you look like you need a pick me up." Kagome drags Suguru along because he drags his feet when she's not tugging on his arm. Whatever is going on with Suguru needs to be resolved like asap.

When they get to the arcade, Kagome promptly drops her hold on Suguru's arm and sends a quick message to Satoru.

Satoru: ? What do you mean you and Suguru are at an arcade?

Kagome: You can't be serious.

Satoru: Which one? I'll be there after this mission.

Kagome: You're not even in Tokyo. No way we'll gonna stay here that long.

Satoru: I can teleport.

Kagome rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Why is he always like this?

Kagome: Last time you teleported, you crashed into Goshinboku. I'm just trying to cheer Suguru up. He looks really down.

Satoru: That was one time and fine. I guess. But if he starts acting strange, you get out of there. He's my friend, but you're my girl, alright?

His girl.

Kagome bites her lip. Her cheeks flush pink in remembrance of that Satoru. Adult Satoru. She wonders what she looks like in the future. Does she look the same? Taller? As long as she doesn't look more like Kikyo, then it doesn't matter.

Kagome: Let me know when you're done with that mission.

She tucks her phone into her pink and gold Sailor Moon purse. Papa got it for her when he and Mom came back from their trip to Italy. Kagome flashes Suguru a smile bright enough for both of them. He turns his head away and rubs the back of his neck.

"So, when will Satoru be here?"

"He's not," Kagome replies, leading them over to a crane game. These games are soooo addicting. "Well, he wanted to teleport to us, but last time he tried that, he hit one of the trees at the shrine. Besides, he's got InuYasha with him and he can't exactly leave him behind. InuYasha left alone to his own devices here, is a terrible idea." She huffs. Dang it! She wanted that fox plushie for Shippo. "Ugh! I can't get it."

"Here, let me try." Suguru stares at the machine with such attention that it's as if he is staring down a curse and not a crane machine. He moves the control with a precision that gives Kagome a small spark of jealousy, because why does he make it look so easy? It's not fair. "You know these are rigged, right? It's not you." He bends down and pulls the fox, a gray one, plushie from the machine and deposits it into her hands. "So, Satoru is making progress with teleporting, huh? He'll be teleporting around in no time. He's gotten even stronger now."

Kagome holds the plushie to her chest. Is that what this is about? Satoru getting stronger and Suguru becoming stagnant? Her shoulders droop for a moment. No, this will not do. Kagome reaches out and squeezes his arm. "We don't have to play games if you don't want. I could help you train instead."

He blinks. Once. Twice. Five more times.

"What? You're worried about Satoru getting stronger without you, right? I know how to train." She leans in forward and lowers her voice. "I mainly fight demons, but I can handle curses, too. We can go to the shrine. I'd rather not go to the school if I can help it."

"... You fight demons?" His brows are taunt, but there's a hint of curiosity on his face now. "I can't imagine you fighting anything. Satoru is so..."

"He's always been like that." Kagome leans back and drops her hand. "He didn't tell you how I saved him when we were younger. It was a curse user."

Suguru looks around the arcade and then back to her. "Is there anyone else at the shrine?"

What a weird question. Kagome shrugs. "Maybe. Sometimes Mama spends time at the clan house, but she was at the shrine when I left. Why?"

"No reason," he says slowly. "I... I need to talk to Satoru. Give me a moment." He pulls out his phone and walks away from her.

Why does he need to talk to Satoru? Is it really that big of a deal? OH! Suguru probably wants to train with both of them. She nods to herself. That makes more sense. Kagome clutches the plushie and waits for Suguru to get off the phone.

"Hey there, beautiful," a man says with a slur. He staggers over to her with his jacket unbuttoned and grease stains in the middle of his white shirt. He smells like burgers and beer. Kagome wrinkles her nose and takes a step to the side. "Don't fuckin ignore me!" He darts a hand out and then screams. Suguru twists his hand back until there's an audible crack.

"Fuck off," Suguru says, letting the man's hand go, and then shoves him back. "We're leaving."

Kagome glances at the man with his balding hair and how he cries while cradling his hand with his other. The man would have never hit her, or rather he would have hit the barrier she put up and eventually moved on. He's not the first creep she's dealt with and she doubts he'll be the last.

"Kagome," Suguru says sharply. "Let's go."

Oh right.

"You know, he would have moved on," she points out. "I put a barrier around myself. I wasn't in any danger."

"A barrier? Like what you put up that one time?" Suguru sucks his teeth and then blows out a breath. "Sorry, you had to see that."

"Oh, that's nothing. Quite tame, really. I mean, I've seen InuYasha with a hole in his stomach and guts out. Lots of guts out. It was such a mess." She holds the plushie with one hand and on to the purse strap with her other. "And Satoru would have done way worse. He can be a bit unhinged at times."

"A hole in his stomach? Does he have rct?"

"No," Kagome says slowly. "That's something sorcerers have, but InuYasha is a half-demon, so his healing is pretty good." She assesses him. "Do you have rct?"

"No," he replies sharply. "It's not something I can do."

"Ah, you mean it's not something you know how to do, but you could do it. Maybe you need another life or death situation to really trigger it?" She presses her lips together in contemplation. "I won't kill you, obviously, but maybe training will jump start something for you. Nothing like a couple of arrows to the gut to get you thinking of new ways to survive."

"Uh... maybe I'll just end up dead," he says with a laugh. "If the arrows don't do me in, then Satoru will surely kill me for laying a finger on you."

"He wouldn't kill you."

"It's Satoru."

"I'd tell him not to," Kagome stresses. "He listens to me for the most part." She frowns. Does he listen to her? Kind of. Maybe. Okay, so he doesn't listen to her all that much, but he won't kill Suguru if she begs him not to, and if he tries, then she'll just threaten him with his own subjugation beads. "Don't worry about it. We're just training and besides, even if you come at me with a special grade, it's no problem. They're not much compared to demons." She stops and then gives Suguru a sheepish grin. "Let's keep that between us. Satoru doesn't know I've taken care of some curses here and there."

"A secret between friends, then."

----

Kagome gives Suguru a thumbs up to proceed with training. Her hair is pulled into a high ponytail, and for the sake of training, she's now wearing her priestess outfit instead of a skirt. "Ready when you are," she says when Suguru hesitates. Ookay, guess she's gonna have to start this off since Suguru seems reluctant. No worries, even if she hits Suguru with an arrow, it won't be enough to kill him.

"This feels wrong," Suguru admits. "Like I'm fighting a—shit!" He jumps back. The arrow lies on the ground, but there's smoke coming from the head. Suguru stiffens and stares at her with something she can't quite put her finger on. It doesn't look like fear. Maybe some wariness? Either way, if Suguru wants to catch back up to Satoru, then he needs to take this seriously.

"That was a warning shot. The next one will hit you," Kagome says, notching another arrow.

"W-wait!" He holds his hands out in front of him, takes a step towards her, and then winces when his foot touches the arrow. "I didn't think you were serious about this. I can't—"

Kagome shoots the arrow, hitting Suguru in the leg. She sighs and lowers the bow. Okay, now what? Suguru doesn't want to train... he doesn't want to train with her and the arcade was a dud. How the heck is she supposed to cheer this guy up?

"Don't pull that out," Kagome says, walking over to him. She squats and wraps her fingers around the arrow. "I'm going to pull it out, and I want you to at least try to heal it."

"You shot me!"

"Ready?"

He closes his mouth and nods his head. "You're just as insane as Satoru." His jaw ticks. The only reaction to Kagome pulling the arrow free. "Focus on healing. You make it seem like it's so easy to do," he mutters, holding his leg with both hands.

"I feel my energy in my gut. Concentrate on yours and push it towards your leg."

Suguru huffs. "So, you fight demons, huh? What's the difference between them and a curse?"

"A demon can be born in a number of ways. Like you and me, or you could have someone that offers their body up to several low-level demons, which would create a half-demon. InuYasha is a half-demon, but he has a demon father and a human mother. A curse is born from negative human emotions." Kagome eyes Suguru's leg. How the blood slows down. "Both are another form of the cycle, I guess. Curses prey on humans and sorcerers take out the curses. Demons prey on humans if they want or curses. They're similar to humans in the sense they have their own personalities, wants, and desires. A curse just wants to kill like a bear would in search of food."

Suguru lifts his head. "And what are you?"

"A priestess." Kagome gasps and snaps her fingers. She's been going about this all wrong. "You take in the curses, right? I was half-listening when Satoru was explaining. He tends to geek out on jujutsu and sometimes it's a little overwhelming."

"Uh... yeah. I swallow the curses in order to make them mine. Why?" He drops his hands and stretches his leg out. "That actually worked."

"Of course, it worked." Kagome sniffs. "Come on, I've got another idea. This one will work for sure." She holds out a hand and pulls him up. "Sorry, I didn't think about this before. It's not something I..." she trails off. What she wants to say is that blessing others and purifying them is not something she typically does in the modern world, but it's probably best to leave that can of worms alone. Suguru knows about the multiverse now, but telling him she travels to the past might be too much. She wrinkles her nose. Wait, does he know she can time travel? There was so much going on when that other Satoru dropped in.

"It's not something, you what?" Suguru prompts, following her into the house. He stands awkwardly in the kitchen while Kagome ruffles through the cabinets.

"Aha! Found it." She holds up a bag of suckers. "Okay, this will have to do for now until I can make you some kind of charm to help counteract all that negative energy you are taking in."

"Suckers are going to help me?"

"I'm going to bless them." She rolls her eyes. "Honestly, if you weren't Satoru's best friend." She places the bag on the counter. "Do you mind asking him to bring some more of these when he comes home while I bless this bag?"

"Okay," Suguru says slowly. "Is he on his way back?"

"Last I messaged him; he said he was almost done." Kagome places her hand on the bag and closes her eyes. She doesn't need to close her eyes to bless the bag, but it's easier to drown out everything around her so she can focus on the task at hand.

Crash!

Huh?

She opens her eyes and blinks at the mess on the floor. Dust. So much dust. And the cabinets are gone. Destroyed. There's no amount of glueing that will put them back together. Not to mention the wall. It has a hole in the middle, shaped like Satoru and InuYasha. Kagome pinches the bridge of her nose and counts to ten. Satoru stands and dusts his pants off while InuYasha lies on the floor passed out.

"Yo!" Satoru chuckles. "I was—"

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO TELEPORT HERE!"

Satoru shrinks and then turns his attention to Suguru. "Oi! What are you still doing here? And that's my candy."

Suguru makes a show of looking at the ruined kitchen. At InuYasha, who is still passed out from the trip or maybe from the dust. He opens the bag and pulls out a sucker. "Kagome-chan blessed these for me," he says with a quirk of his lips. He unwraps the sucker and plops it in his mouth. His eyes widen and then dart over to her.

"That's just temporary," Kagome says. "I'm going to make you a proper charm to offset the cons of your curse technique." She turns to Satoru and plants her hands on her hips. "And you! Stop teleporting from far away before you end up hurting yourself."

Satoru pokes out his bottom lip. "Sorry. I wanted to see you." He steps over InuYasha and pulls her into a hug. "Promise to stick to short distances for now." He brushes his lips across her forehead. "Missed you."

She should be mad, but Kagome leans into Satoru. Her fingers clutch the back of his jacket. "Why do you feel harder?"

Suguru coughs loudly. Satoru squeezes Kagome tighter, but his body is shaking. Was it something she said? He does feel harder, like he's been hitting the weights.

"Did Suguru do anything? I can kick his ass."

"No, he didn't—"

"She shot me!"

"Heh. Well, you deserved it." Satoru pulls back but keeps an arm wrapped around her. "Shoot him again so I can laugh."

"You two are insane," Suguru mutters, reaching into the bag for another sucker. There's color to his cheeks now.

Huh, turns out, Suguru needed Satoru to cheer up. Kagome rests her head against Satoru. Everything is going to be fine now...well, at least until Mom and Dad come back and see the kitchen.

----

Suguru looks up at the sky. It's dark out now and Kagome's mom never came back to the house. A shame, since he wanted to see someone else yell at Satoru. He tightens his fingers around the bag of suckers and various other candies. Blessed candy. He laughs. The absurdity of this day is getting to him.

"Oi! Suguru, wait up."

Suguru turns and waits for Satoru. "Walking me down the steps?"

"Yeah, let's have a talk." Satoru takes his shades off and hangs them on his white shirt. "Something different about you."

Different?

Suguru stares at his feet as he takes one step. Two steps. If he counts all the steps and ignores Satoru, maybe Satoru will drop it.

"Oi!"

Or not.

"I figured out how to use rct." He peeks at Satoru from the corner of his eyes. "Kagome helped me. That's why she shot me with an arrow. How long have you known... that she could neutralize cursed energy?"

"The first day we met, she hit this curse user so hard, his cursed energy vanished. I found him later. Tracked him down, and it's not a permanent effect." Satoru shrugs. "But I wasn't asking about that. I meant you. How are you?"

Suguru nearly trips on the next step. Satoru's words are clumsy, but it sounds as though Satoru is concerned about him?

"I'm fine—"

"Bullshit."

Suguru plasters a smile on his face and stops on the 50th step. "Satoru, I am fine. Better now, really." He holds up the bag of goods and jostles it. "Why doesn't Kagome help Jujutsu? She can bless candy," he says with a laugh. The despair from eating that curse earlier today is gone, replaced with the warm feeling of basking in the sun. "She can disrupt curse energy, so surely she could take out a curse or two."

Satoru's upper lift curls up before smoothing over. It happens so quickly, Suguru doubts Satoru is aware of the reaction.

"It's not about helping Jujutsu. It's about keeping her away from the higher ups. They're a pain and shitty." Satoru crosses his arms and then exhales. "But more importantly, Kagome doesn't want it. She likes that." He motions to the bag. "She reaches more people blessing items for the shrine than if she were to go on a mission."

Suguru nods. "And yet she fights demons."

Satoru shrugs again. "Trust me, you don't want to fight one. Actually, you should fight InuYasha. If Kagome shooting you helped you, then surely fighting InuYasha would do more for you." He punches Suguru's arm. "There's always going to be someone or something stronger than us, so we gotta do what we can and keep pushing ourselves harder."

Stronger than them?

"I can't believe you, of all people, would admit something like that."

"Next mission, either I or InuYasha will come with," Satoru says, ignoring Suguru's last comment. "We're the strongest trio."

"Now we're a trio?" Suguru shakes his head. When they get to the last step, Suguru glances over his shoulder in the direction of Jujutsu high and then back at Satoru.

"InuYasha's party is on Saturday. You should—I want you there."

Satoru must have knocked something loose when he hit the side of the house.

"I have missions all week, Satoru. Like you. There's no guarantee I'll be able to."

"Let me handle that. I want you there." Satoru smiles and then jerks his thumb back at the stairs. "Oh, and Suguru, no more dates with my girl. Got it."

Date?

Suguru huffs. "I was taken as a hostage. It wasn't a date." He waves goodbye and heads back to the school and away from Satoru. It's only when he's alone in his room that his shoulders slump and the bag full of candy drops to the floor. He slides his hands down his face and muffles the sigh.

This is a problem.

***

A/N: If you're confused, please go back and read chapter 19 of the side stories.

"Does that mean Kagome is Benzaiten's priestess?" - I'm not sure if I will introduce any more gods...okay maybe Inari, but other than that there probably won't be any more gods introduced because then it would just be the gods fighting lol.

"Is there a celestial maiden Kagome that falls in love with Satoru?" - Can you imagine the ego on that Satoru? Bragging about how he has a celestial maiden as his girl?

"Have you seen Noein: To Your Other Self?" - I have not, but I bookmarked it so I won't forget.

"Is Naoya invited to that party?" - We just might get a spar between Naoya and InuYasha.

This chapter ended up being a bit longer than I thought. Still working on the next chapter of Brat Tamer. I thought I was going to get way more writing done this week, but I guess my body needed the rest more. Thanks for the honey garlic remedy, I'll have to pick up some garlic the next time I go the store. We've been getting hit hard this year with colds. My kid got a double ear infection this week.

Take care and have a wonderful week ahead! Get plenty of rest and stay hydrated! I'll be back to updating the Christmas Wish since Christmas is next month.

[loopyren]

can i say something about inukik & inukag lol

For context, I’m a latecomer to this series. I just finished it last month in the year 2023. And “Did Inuyasha love Kikyo more or Kagome more?” is sort of a weird debate for me.

Because it's sort of implying that "love" could be quantified or something. Like it’s something you can point your finger at and count. But from my, ahem seasoned expertise, that’s not how it works.

So I want to look at it in a different way.

Let’s get it straight. Love is not quantifiable. Inuyasha loved both Kikyo and Kagome the best way he knew how. He was genuine about both of them. His feelings were earnest and true.

But you can’t deny his love somehow feels... different between the two of them.

So what is it? What is this difference?...

*deep breath* please bear with me I need to get this out of my system

+

Inuyasha loved Kikyo. But their love felt transactional.

Kikyo showed him kindness, didn't try to kill him, treated him like a normal person for once. But... she was kind of in a sad place in life. In protecting the jewel, she felt robbed of a normal life. So, she asked him one day, "Will you become human and destroy the jewel? For me?" Kind of a tall ask, but I don’t blame her. She was feeling miserable. And Inuyasha's like, "Yes, of course!"

But then she died. And got resurrected. And Inuyasha's like “well shit, now I REALLY need to do something for her. She DIED because of me.” That's really what's driving his love (is it love anymore? idk) at this point. It feels like he's chasing to pay off his debt.

That's what I mean by “transactional.”

Okay, so Inuyasha loved Kagome too. But their love felt unconditional.

Kagome also showed him kindness, didn't try to kill him, treated him like a normal person etc. just like Kikyo. But she doesn’t really need anything from Inuyasha, right. She’s content with her life and all. So... she didn't ask for anything back. She just gave kindness to him and went on her merry way. Ok ya, sometimes she gets a lil grumpy (she’s human) but she always believes in him, trusts him to do the right thing, supports him when he's weak, yada yada... and like, that's it. Inuyasha even tries to make himself look like the bad guy, steals her shards, freakin’ pushes her into the well to get her to go home (cuz he didn’t want her to get hurt anymore), but Kagome comes back HUGGING him LMAO

Kagome is giving him literally nothing but love and trust and support. Not really expecting anything in return. She just wants to see him be his best and do his best. Encourage him during hard times. Even when she sees him with Kikyo lol… Clearly it hurts her and she realizes she caught feelings (oops), but she accepts that about herself and holds on to her desire to support him through and through.

She kinda says to him, "Hey… I know my place (in relation to Kikyo), but I still want to support you. I want to see you smile and be happy. Will you let me stay by your side?"

DAMN. Inuyasha says, "You’ll stay for me?" (well, in the anime in Japanese that's what he literally says, I replayed that scene like 500 times to make sure I heard it right). And she's like ya! Let's go!

CMONNNN. His brain is probably like “NO STOP! I OWE MY LIFE TO KIKYO!” but his heart is already saying “JFC THIS GIRL. I LOVE HER.” And he wants to do everything for her, not because he's indebted to her. It's not a transaction he needs to pay up. He does it because he really wants to.

So like, people making a ruckus about “Inuyasha Loved Kikyo!!!” vs “NO INUYASHA LOVED KAGOME!!” And I’m just sitting here going, uhh. I mean y'all both right! He... loved them both? Hello? And he loved very adorably for both of them. He’s such an honest lover.

But the circumstances in which he loved each girl are totally different. 

With Kikyo, the circumstances were pretty dire. They were both deprived of something important to them. Her, a normal life. Him, just basic love and affection. They weren’t able to love each other with no strings attached bc they both still had stuff internally to deal with (her: the need to be liberated & him: insecurity). But, regardless, they shared a special bond that can’t be replaced. That’s a given.

Kagome... gave him better circumstances to love. Her love made him feel light. It felt so good and positive. She taught him a lot on what it means to trust and love someone unconditionally. He could show her all his ugly and she accepts that about him. She helped him meet lifelong friends too, Miroku, Sango, Shippo... And he really treasures her for that. They also shared a special bond that can’t be replaced, literally no one can replace bc he basically screams out loud (in the Meido) she is his soulmate. :’) suh cute

I think at the end, yeah, Kikyo might’ve got some smooches and our InuKag friends are like D: But… I’m romantic ace so maybe I see it differently, but it’s just a kiss. I never doubted that the only kiss that would truly make his eyes light up, the only kiss that could cause his entire soul to leap out of his own mouth and stun him into silence, is a kiss with Kagome. And Rumiko Takahashi did that without actually providing us a kiss scene (in the manga). 

Takahashi made me trust Inuyasha like how he and Kagome trust each other. :((((

That’s... incredible. Standing ovation character building 👏🏼

[stopthebig3]

What do you think of girls hating in Kikyo for no reason? She suffered so much in Inuyasha and treated unfairly.

Shipping. She actually does come in the way of the ship because Inuyasha does love her too. Kagome is more relatable than her. Even the way Kikyo was brought up is just not something a lot of readers can relate to. Personally I find her a fascinating character. There should be more female characters that aren't moefied and sexualized to death while still having that "cool" personality. It would also be nice if people could look at Kikyo and Kagome's characters and realize they come from totally different backgrounds. I don't hate either of them.

Sakura hate on the other hand is not due to "coming between a ship" because neither Sasuke or Naruto care about her enough. Naruto and Sakura don't even interact much anymore, and Sasuke literally react like this when he saw her after many years;

And he never kissed her in canon.

The reasons people dislike Sakura are:

a) she wastes most of the screentime and many important situations she's in (which is a lot compared to many other characters) by being useless

b) she treats naruto poorly yet naruto is the one who has to save her ass all the time, and if not him then kakashi, yamato, you name it

c) she treats sasuke like an object, she doesn't care to listen to him at all, and acts like a victim because sasuke isn't romantically interested in her

d) she treats other women who help her poorly

etc.

As for me I dislike her fanbase more than her. They are insufferable and toxic, and can't accept the fact she's just not an amazing role model, badass or a likeable character in canon. They call you a misogynist for disliking her canon manga character, but then change her character into something different in fanon. Not to mention they always blame other characters for her failures.

[sesskag-week]

SessKag Week 2024 Theme Breakdown

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You'll find the week's prompts here!

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Day 1

Canon Compliant

Canon compliant fics follow the canon exactly and don't alter the setting or canonical plot events too drastically. An example of a canon compliant fic would be for example a retelling of a specific scene from another character's point of view.

VS

Modern AU

Modern AU is a fic that takes place in a contemporary setting instead of the work's canonical setting. In SessKag, modern AU fics are typically set in modern day Japan. They can either still feature youkai and miko, or be all human AUs as well.

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Day 2

Canon divergence

Canon divergence fics follow canon up to a point. They take place in the canon setting and may follow the canonical plotline fairly closely, before they began to spin off to their own direction. "What if Kikyo didn't die?" "What if Kagome never went back to the Feudal era?" "What if Kagome met Sesshoumaru first?" are all types of canon divergent fic scenarios.

VS

Historical AU

A fic that takes place in an alternative setting that's in a different time period than the canonical setting. For SessKag, this could be anything any other time period than Sengoku era and up to the 1990s. SessKag in Heian era? Meiji era? Regency England? Any other time is a fair game.

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Day 3

Missing Episode

Missing episode, or a missing scene fic, is canon compliant fic that is set between specific canon events, but it is a moment that's never actually shown to the audience.

VS

Fusion AU

Fusion AUs are types of crossovers, where you take the plot and/or setting of Fandom 1 and the characters from Fandom 2 and mash it all up. If you see a fic described as "SessKag Star Wars AU" or "SessKag Pride and Prejudice AU", those are type of fusion fics.

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Day 4

Pre-Canon

Pre-canon, or pastfic, is a fic that is set before the events of the canon. It could be a flashback or delve into the character's backstory.

VS

Fantasy/Scifi AU

Fantasy or Scifi AU could be any kind of AU that incorporates fantasy or scifi elements in it. It could be a fairy tale retelling, some kind of a Isekai scenario, a Fae/Werewolf/Vampire AU or a zombie apocalypse.

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Day 5

Canon Reunion

Broadly, this could mean any canonical reunion scene. With SessKag, though, the type of canon divergent modern era reunion fics where Sesshoumaru and Kagome meet again in modern day after Kagome never returns to the Feudal era are popular, so I had those in mind when I chose this theme.

VS

All human AU

All human AU is an AU in which the characters that are not human in the canon (e.g. Sesshoumaru) are human. High school or College AUs are a popular type of an all human AU. An all human AU does not have to be set in a modern day, however.

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Day 6

Post Canon

Post canon or a futurefic is a fic that takes place after the canon has ended, usually several years later.

VS

Royalty AU

Royalty AU is a type of an AU story in which one or several characters are a member of a royal family. Whether the story takes place in a historical, fantasy or contemporary setting is up to the writer. Tropes that go hand in hand with this type of AU are arranged marriage or bodyguard fics, for example.

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The fantastic banner features this artwork by the fabulous @valuvi

[inusmasha]

InuKag's contrasting backgrounds and the challenges they face in their respective worlds create a fascinating duality.

Kagome is a teenager who's juggling 2 equally important forces; Her life in the modern era and her life in the feudal era.

It's like she's in a constant transitioning state. She has to stay adapting and recontextualizing her sense of identity bc it's different day to day. She's the master archer with sacred arrows that need to shoot the bad guys... But she's also that constantly absent student taking the make up test in the back, don't bother her right now. In the past she's often mistaken for "Kikyo" if it serves the plot. What's a Kagome anyway? Tiktok audio She's just a girl in the world.

In contrast, Inuyasha grapples with his half-demon, half-human heritage, representing a different form of duality, albeit in a more physical sense.

This is why I adore the opening of the series! There's nothing quite like witnessing the initial setup. You're paired with someone, and you have to rely on each other in order to navigate this unfamiliar terrain (and like..not die lol). Each brings unique skills and perspectives to the table, necessitating observation and learning. In the process, they grow and evolve together.

Inuyasha observes Kagome as she forges connections wherever she goes, allowing them to form a powerful team capable of confronting their adversaries and establishing a new home. Simultaneously, Inuyasha offers protection and combat prowess honed during his solitary childhood survival. It's the perfect partnership between the most unlikely pair.

I just love a mirror.

[makersruin]

completely unrelated to xiv, ive been rewatching a lot of inuyasha while i work and its been really nice and nostalgic but im also kind of fascinated going through it with a now-adult brain. granted the anime is slightly different from the manga but iirc a lot of key character relationship moments are pretty faithful adaptations so im really shocked to realize that the text explicitly says inuyasha feels indebted to kikyo bc the guilt of what he did to her makes him feel like he has to atone with his life, even if they had been tricked into killing each other. that simply never stuck with me as a kid because inuyasha never really acts like he's passively suicidal outside of kikyo (reckless in battle, yes but not suicidal!) but that is a crazy thing for your protagonist to be holding onto. and it is really shockingly mature of kagome, who is like 15, to accept that this sort of complication has its roots way too deep in him for her to do anything about it besides just being supportive. she can't scold it out of him, she can't beg him to live for a reason as petty as 'for me?' and she knows better than to demand that they simply stop interacting or seeing each other when they have 50+ years of baggage and just hopes that when the day comes, she will have sufficiently spent enough time with him that he realizes his living friends now are more important than someone who has long since died and came back wrong. i went in the youtube comments of the first movie and people were still repping their favorite inuyasha ship. it is actually crazy that there is still beef between inuyasha/kagome and inuyasha/kikyo stans in 2024. war never changes

[kinmokusei-stars]

An actual story drawing? It's a miracle! LMAO

This is the first time Kouko and Inuyasha properly connected one on one, through comfort and a bowl of warm soup.

More on this scene below the cut!

After a particularly rough confrontation with Kikyo, Kouko followed Inuyasha out to where he was trying to silently recuperate from the event. He definitely wasn't thrilled, but instead of beckoning him back to the group, she offered him out a bowl of warm soup, and sat next to him to give her condolences to how things played out between the two of them.

She wasn't aware of his past before now, and in all honesty, seeing him do more than bicker with Kagome and fight in battles definitely humanized him in her mind. She still hadn't grown past her distain for demons yet, so being able to sympathize with one was a bit of a revelation.

She understood the feeling of breaking things off on bad terms with a lover, especially with how badly things ended with her and her own first love. Though it definitely wasn't the same, it was a similar type of grief, and while she had grown and overcome her own mourning over time, she had the realization that his pain was still a very open wound. If none of the others were willing to give him the time and patience he needed to grieve, she would.

It was a cautious, and very hesitant start to them growing to be friends, but one brought through compassion and concern. It helped them grow some semblance of understanding for each other, that would eventually lead to Inuyasha returning the kindness down the line.

I've had this one as a sketch for... Actual months now? I think? (￣▽￣*)ゞ What a pain! I'm so incredibly happy with how it turned out, though! The soft muted greens fit so well for this being the first peek into their bonding in comparison with the lively brighter greens they have later!

Fun Fact: I always forget to draw Inuyasha's beads when doing pieces like this where it's set before he got them taken off LMAO Slips my mind nearly every time!

(There's also a 50% chance I forget Kouko's freckles on every piece I do of her (×_×)���☆ Happens more than you'd think, I just manage to catch it before I post the drawing lol)

[mrmathmanwr]

UAWHRUIYAWGRFUYAWGREAW

OH WHY MUST SUNRISE GO INBETWEEN BASTARDIZING INUYASHA AND IMPROVING IT

Just got the end of the arc in the anime where the Inu-gang confronts Kagura Kanna and Naraku and HOLY SHIT THEY MADE IT BETTER. Not infinitely better, they still did that thing where they over-explain things that don't even need to be explained, then leave out parts that give really cool implications (Naraku DOESN'T question why Kikyo gave him the shards? But we need about six lines between Kagome and Miroku saying "oh hey naraku's here." bruh.) But I'm mainly talking about the part with Koharu. In the manga, it was kinda just an interesting little tid-bit that wasn't really touched on other than to characterize Miroku and give some extra tension to the fights, but they made it 100% better in the anime by GIVING MIROKU A DAMN SPEECH. It wasn't long, or particularly dramatic, just a really simple, really in character, really damn good speech about "Life is difficult, and we can't stop that. The challenge comes from being strong in life." AND HOLY FUCK MAN WHY CAN'T YOU DO THIS MORE OFTEN??? Then at the end, those scenes just hanging on the crew in recovery from NEARLY DYING??? OMFG DO THIS MORE PLEASE, YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO GOOD, JUST DO GOOD PLEASE.

[akiizayoi4869]

Been reading the Inuyasha manga recently, and man it is a lot better than the anime. A lot of things are explained better in the manga, certain things that happened in the anime just don't happen in the manga, and Kagome doesn't say "sit!" nearly as much as she does in the anime. My favorite part of the manga though would have to be her:

I remember watching the show as a kid, and not really caring much for Kikyo at all. Her backstory was tragic, but I just didn't care for how the anime made her act towards Inuyasha and Kagome (plus after a while I was just sick of the love triangle between these three) so I really didn't have much of a positive outlook towards her. When I watched it again years later, however, my thoughts about Kikyo began to change. I began to understand why she acted the way she did when she was resurrected. It made sense. She didn't die peacefully, she was under the assumption that Inuyasha, someone she loved and wanted to spend her life with, had killed her, when that wasn't the case at all. Her soul is then bought back to the land of the living because of Inuyasha saying her name. On top of that, she finds out that her soul was reincarnated and that Kagome was the new guardian of the shikon jewel, something that Kikyo wished to destroy by having it burned along with her body when she died. To add insult to injury, her reincarnation is in love with Inuyasha, and it's clear that he feels the same way about her. So yeah, I can't really blame Kikyo for acting the way she did in the earlier episodes after she was resurrected. Besides, she was supposed to be a vengeful spirit. And the way how she was acting, it was the perfect example of a spirit not being able to rest in peace because of how they died. Having said all of that, I understand why people who only ever watched the show and never read the manga ended up not liking her character that much.

The manga though does her character way better than the anime did. For starters, a lot of the scenes and lines that were in the anime to add more fuel to the love triangle is thankfully non existent in the manga. It honestly doesn't even feel like there's much of a love triangle going on in the manga. Inuyasha's feelings towards both Kagome and Kikyo are made clear, unlike the anime where it seemed like he couldn't make up his mind about who he wanted to be with.

Like this talk, for example. It happens right after Inuyasha meets Kikyo for the first time since she's been resurrected, and she tries to drag him to hell with her. We never got this conversation between Inuyasha and Kagome in the anime. From what I can remember, he asks her why is she so upset with him and what did she see, and she just says the sit command and that's the end of the episode. And there's more talks like this between these two in the manga that doesn't happen in the anime.

Getting back to Kikyo, once she learns the truth of what happened 50 years ago in the manga, she doesn't really seem to be invested in Inuyasha and Kagome anymore (well, aside from trying to kill Kagome when she takes the jewel shards from her). She was entirely focused on killing Naraku and getting revenge on him for killing her and pitting her and Inuyasha against each other. In the manga, Kikyo's motives in giving Naraku the shikon jewel are explained clearly. I may be remembering wrong, but in the anime I remember not really understanding what she was trying to do, and it just kinda left you guessing for a while what exactly she was trying to accomplish. All in all, Kikyo's character just seems to be written a lot better in the manga than in the anime.

[shinidamachu]

I think you or someone else discussed how Inuyasha is most likely demisexual because of his lack of interest in nudity until he formed an emotional bond. I was just thinking how the anti’s claimed Inuyasha settled for Kagome, but all evidence points to him loving her *despite* her resemblance to Kikyo. Not hating on Kikyo, just pointing out how Inuyasha kept saying it’s his fault she died because he didn’t trust her, even though trust has to go both ways but whatever, so if he was settling then Kagome would be a daily reminder that he failed Kikyo. Which would sound like hell considering his repeated claims of his fault.

But clearly in the past discussion of Inuyasha being demisexual, we all know he isn’t shallow or ”settling”.

I might have mentioned Inuyasha being demisexual once or twice, but I don't remember posting something that specific. Maybe someone else did and I reblogged it?

I'm glad you brought up the "Inuyasha settled for Kagome" terrible take, though, because you make great points and boy do I have something to say about it.

First, I love that you mentioned trust has to go both ways despite Inuyasha blaming Kikyo's death solely on his lack of trust on her. It always bothered me how quickily and sincerely he owned up to the role he played on her fate when there was zero reciprocity from Kikyo.

He went as far as taking responsability for things that have never really happened and that would be completely out of his control if they had, such as Kikyo "dying to follow after him" even though he didn't ask for it and never would.

The irony is that, between the two of them, Kikyo was actually the one more equipped to realize they were being played and yet, not only she falls for the same trap, but never really acknowledges that her lack of trust on Inuyasha was just as detrimental to their downfall.

Naraku's entire plan was based on both of them doubting each other. If either one had been more trusting, it'd have failed. Inuyasha recognizes this and regrets not trusting Kikyo, immediately treating her like the victim that she is and never once blaming her.

But he is a victim himself and she never extends the same courtesy to him, still thinking her actions were justified because he should have trusted her — not the other way around — and so she never bothers easing his guilt. On the contrary, she purposely adds to it.

The thing about the love triangle — for lack of a better term — is that Inuyasha and Kagome are constantly pushing their feelings aside to empathize with each other's and Kikyo's pain, while Kikyo acts like she's the only one who's hurting.

Which is to be expected at first because she is the one who died and was brought back against her will, but as the story progressed, I kept waiting for Kikyo to see a little bit of herself on the ordinary girl who was entrusted the weight of the world upon her shoulders, had her shoes to fill and the mess she left behind to clean up.

I kept waiting for her to show some sympathy for the boy who lost fifty years of his life because she misjudged him and was willing to die for a debt she manipulated and guilt-tripped him into thinking he had, a boy she supposedly loves.

None of it came, at least not in a way that felt organic or satisfying. That's my main issue with how Kikyo was written. You can't paint her as a complex character and then gloss over her flaws. You can't sell her as gray character and then pretend the bad things she did never happened.

Takahashi wanted her to reap all of the rewards that come with a redemption arc without really bothering to make her go through one, because that would mean having Kikyo face her mistakes for what they were — including her distrust on Inuyasha — and then apologizing or making up for it, a feat that rarely happened in canon, if at all.

Instead, she abruptly stops acting as vicious, so everything can be conveniently forgiven and forgotten because "she isn't like that anymore." The lack of explanation about what motivated this change makes harder for the audience to connect with her and results in many plot inconsistencies.

And the lack of accountability regarding Kikyo's actions keeps her from growing and reaching her full potential as a character, indirectly regressing or preventing the development of the characters around her as well, which I believe is a huge part of why the story feels repetitive and stagnant at times.

Now, you're definitely onto something when you argue that all evidence actually points to Inuyasha falling in love with Kagome despite her resemblance to Kikyo. I've actually talked about it here and here.

While it's true that Inuyasha mistook Kagome for Kikyo when they first met, it would've been unreasonable to expect anything different. Their looks and scents are similar, he had just woken up from a fifty years long spell and up until then he had no reason to believe otherwise, but Inuyasha actually caught up in a decent amount of time.

After that, as much as he still refused to call Kagome by name, he was also very aware she wasn't Kikyo, to the point that it took seeing her with complete priestess attire on for him to even make that correlation again.

And yet, Inuyasha still doesn't go back into thinking they're the same person, but rather that Kagome's a girl who resembles Kikyo. Only eventually, even this starts to change the more time they spend together and suddenly, when Inuyasha has a nightmare about Kikyo, is Kagome he sees first.

Mind you, he has only seen Kagome in priestess clothes once. Kikyo wore those her entire life. It'd be understandable for him to confuse Kagome for Kikyo and yet Kagome was his first thought here when, by logic, she shouldn't have been. From them on, he doesn't even see any resemblance between the two girls at all anymore.

Which makes sense, because even if Inuyasha had tried to use Kagome as a replacement — something he never did — he couldn't possibly have succeded, since both girls are polar opposites — a creative choice that was done completely on purpose — and Kagome wasn't slightly interested on being anyone but herself, making her into the worst Kikyo replacement ever.

That's why it got easier for Inuyasha to distinguish one girl from the other with time. Their distinct personalities make up for completely different dynamics and bring completely different feelings out of Inuyasha, because they represent completely different things to him and, again: this is done absolutely on purpose.

In the manga, this is better illustrated by two very specific panels. In the first one, Kikyo is smiling sadly but genuinely at Inuyasha — which we don't see her do often — and he admitted later on that the exchange made him feel guilty, like he had done something wrong, since he had just been rude to her.

In the second one, Kagome is smiling brightly at Inuyasha, which she does constantly, then we immediately see him blush and think to himself how relieved he is to see that smile

Of course those are very different contexts, but they pretty much set the tone for both relationships and if the arrangement of those panels wasn't a conscious choice — which I doubt — then Takahashi is insanely lucky. It's also worth noting that Inuyasha felt relieved to see Kagome smiling because it was further confirmation that even after Kikyo's resurrection, she was still Kagome.

So I think it's safe to say the physical resemblance actually slowed the romantic process down, considering that the staged betrayal made Inuyasha build his walls even taller than they were when he met Kikyo. This becomes even more clear when you compare their respective first "amicable" conversations.

With Kikyo, even though he was reluctant about her approach and suspicious of her intentions, there was still a part of him that obviously wanted it to be true, so he was at least open to what she had to say.

With Kagome, he was visibly more aggressive and closed off because he has been burned before and she was the reincarnation of the woman who did the burning, which makes her managing to get his trust so quickly that much more remarkable, since she apparently did in less time and in worse circumstances, what Kikyo couldn't.

And Kagome did it precisely because she never acted like Kikyo. She actually took the time to know Inuyasha, to give him her trust and to earn his, to build a solid relationship, based on honesty and real acceptance.

I like to think that, while Kikyo found a crack on Inuyasha's defense she could slip in, Kagome slowly smashed his walls to the ground, therefore leaving an ever lasting impact on him that she couldn't have made by being anyone but herself.

When Inuyasha starts to pursue Kagome romantically, he does so after concluding that there's absolutely no resemblance between the two girls at all and after going through an entire arc where Kagome cried for his sake and trusted him blindly, none of which has anything to do with Kikyo.

People argue that Inuyasha was actually trying to kiss Kikyo here, but why would he do that when he still thinks she betrayed him? And if this was really the case, then why has he never willingly kissed or tried to kiss Kikyo until their final goodbye, Sunrise additions excluded?

At this point, it makes more sense to me that he was avoiding to look at Kagome not because she looks like Kikyo — he has been looking at her just fine before —, but because he has started to catch feelings for her despite his efforts not to and doesn't know how to act. In fact, when he had the chance to kiss Kikyo soon after, this is what we got instead:

And then he hugs her — something the anime cut out — but the important thing is that Inuyasha had this and many other opportunities to rekindle his relationship with Kikyo and simply didn't.

In this particular occasion, he even go as far as to ask Kikyo to return the piece of soul that keeps her "alive" to Kagome knowing full well what the consequences were.

Why would Inuyasha settle for a "replacement" when he could have the real thing instead? Even if you believe resurrected Kikyo to be nothing more than a malicious replica of the original, she's still more Kikyo than Kagome could or would ever be.

I dislike this notion because if it's true and there's not an ounce of Kikyo there, why should the audience or the characters care if she "lives" or "dies"? If she gets a redemption arc or not? It feels like a cop out to only consider her the real Kikyo when she does good things.

That being said, save for maybe one scene at the beginning where Inuyasha shoved a bow and some arrows at Kagome because Kikyo was a master archer, he never expected her to behave like Kikyo, never tried to change her so she would and never acted frustrated or disappointed at the fact that she was her own person.

Inuyasha has his flaws — as any good main character should — but he always respected the inviduality of both girls, which is more than I can say about the people who insist on this baseless take.

To wrongly paint Inuyasha as someone who settled for Kagome because she looks like Kikyo gets especially icky when even Naraku, the villain who was obsessed with her, never redirected said obsession to Kagome.

It's such a common trope that I was actually expecting it, but I'm glad it didn't happen because it's a subtle and yet effective way of sedimenting both girls as separate individuals instead of going for the cheapest option.

And ironically, the only character who treated Kagome as if she was Kikyo was Kikyo herself, but even that was very early on and she only seemed to do it as a way of belittling Kagome, because while mentioning her to other people — or by the end of the story — Kikyo had no trouble referring to Kagome as a different being.

Sunrise's adaptation made very questionable choices but something they were pretty consistent on was making clear Kagome and Kikyo aren't the same.

Besides, something fundamentally wrong with this argument is that Inuyasha comes off as shallow and Kikyo as disposeable. Shallow because it suggests physical appearance is all that matters — which goes against everything his character stands for in canon — and the soul is just a seal of approval.

Disposeable because it hints Kikyo's personality is so forgettable and unimportant that it played absolutely no part on sparkling Inuyasha's interest. She's so easily replaceable that even someone who had opposite world views, thoughts, feelings, temperament and mannerisms could do the trick. The memories they made are so generic that it wouldn't have make a difference if any other character was in her place.

Why do people even like those characters, why do they even ship them together if they truly believe that? That's why I don't buy that they actually do.

You see, considering how huge Kagome's soul is, Kikyo technically has got to be someone else's reincarnation too, but I've never seen anyone making the case that she is anyone but herself or that her predecessor is also the love of Inuyasha's life.

The reason they try to do this with Kagome is so that they can pretend Inuyasha and Kikyo somehow ended up together to cope with the fact that they didn't. And that's the exact same reason they pretend he setled for Kagome as well.

Which is funny because what exactly was Inuyasha settling for? Like, in the great scheem of things, what was Kikyo able to give him that he couldn't get a thousand times better from Kagome with no strings attached and just had to make his peace with it?

It seems to me like it was the other way around: Kagome managed to accomplish everything Kikyo failed to do, so if anything Inuyasha was settling, it was for Kikyo, resigned to spend the rest of his life as human — something he hated to be — just to get "accepted" or to die for something he didn't do just to appease her.

Finally, to say inuyasha settled implies he had no other choice but to marry Kagome. He had: staying single, because now that he has friends and wasn't alone anymore, he doesn't need a lover to fill that empty space in his life if he doesn't want one.

Plus, Kagome wasn't entitled to his love. She jumped trought that well knowing that three years is a long time, that people and feelings change and that what waited for her on the other side was a mystery, but she did it anyway because all she ever wanted from him was to stay by his side and for him to be honest with her.

Kagome would've been fine with a platonic relationship because even though she obviously wanted more, she was ready to accept whatever Inuyasha was willing to give her, but he wanted her to return so he could give her everything, which he couldn't before because he felt in debt with Kikyo. That's the whole point.

Inuyasha was the one who iniciated every romantic moment they had early on: the first hug, both almost kisses, etc. And it was clear that the things Kagome made him feel, such as that sense of peace, of belonging, of unadultered happiness, were very new to him, so the idea that Inuyasha was settling for her is laughable when this is the character in question:

I know a lot of those scenes were deleted or changed by Sunrise but I watched the anime without reading the manga beforehand and reached the exact same conclusions, so I'm still of the opinion that the people who convinced themselves Kagome was a consolation prize either didn't pay attention or have an agenda of their own to push, that won't change by reading the original material.

TLDR; one does not simply "settle" for their soulmate. They come home to them.