"Onee-sama, what are you looking at?"
A young girl walks shyly towards the priestess seated on a grassy hill. The priestess smiles and bids the girl to sit beside her and she does. The woman looks up into the sky, her eyes glaze over for a moment with such tenderness as if she were remembering something from her past.
"I think I am making a wish." She looks at the little girl and laughs to herself gently.
"What are you wishing for?"
The woman puts her delicate white hands on the child's head and whispers," It's a secret."
X
The village is on fire. A demon must have passed by and destroyed everything. The houses are in ruins and there is not a single person in sight, but at least the little girl has escaped. Everything is engulfed in a tornado of crimson blaze and it doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. The priestess walks into the fires carefully, avoiding the burning houses and walking along the path that was free from the fire. She analyzes the area with her shining onyx eyes and sees nothing dangerous.
"Kikyou!"
Her breath stops in her lungs and she doesn't turn around.
"Kikyou… Is that you?"
Hesitantly, Kikyou turns around to see Inuyasha, the white haired hanyou and his companions.
Kagome was standing next to him and she stared intently for some strange reason.
"Kikyou, don't tell me…" Kagome's eyes are dead serious," You've destroyed this village."
Kikyou's eyes widen for a second and then she closes them, a small grin intermingles with the beautiful features of her face pale face, illuminated by the fearsome red glow of the flames. Internally, she laughs a bitter painful laugh. She finds it humorous, almost altogether too funny. They always make her out to be the villain and so the villain's part she will play.
Kikyou takes out her bow and arrow and strings them together, pointing them at Kagome. Her voice is dangerously low," So what if I did? Are you going to kill me now?"
She releases the arrow and it zooms past Kagome, missing her by only an inch and hits a tree instead. Everyone gasps in shock and looks back at the arrow, then back to the spot Kikyou was at.
She already vanished and Inuyasha jumps forward. Kagome yells out to him," Inuyasha wait, don't go!"
"I'll be right back!" And he disappears into the distance, following her scent.
X
The priestess returns to the grassy meadow atop a hill. She really enjoys that spot because of the great view of the night sky.
She pulls her hair out of her hair tie and let the silky ebony strands fall and frame her face. Her hair spills across her back and settles in the grass.
"That scene was almost too familiar." She thinks to herself.
The crimson flames, blazing through the village, the blood stained earth beneath her feet, and that familiar face with that familiar voice. She almost wants to cry, but she is stronger than tears. She's already cried them all away when she was alive.
She quickly stops her thoughts when she feels Inuyasha's presence again. "Damn that nose of his." She thinks bitterly.
"What do you want with a killer like me?" She asks without turning around.
"Kikyou… It wasn't you, was it?"
"Sorry Inuyasha, but it's not my job to force others to trust me. You all may believe what you wish to believe."
Inuyasha frowns and runs over to where she is sitting. He sits in front of her angrily and grabs her arm," I know it wasn't you! Why didn't you just say so? Now they all probably believe it was you after all. You don't always have to pretend like the bad guy. You know that I trust you."
Kikyou does not try to take her arm back and she looks down," You should not."
"Kikyou, I know it wasn't you. And in any case, you never miss. You could have blown Kagome's face up if you wanted."
There was a silence and then she says," I did not mean to shoot it so close to her."
He laughs," I know."
Inuyasha looks at her face and becomes mesmerized by her beautiful long eyelashes.
Kikyou looks up and smiles softly like she used to and his heart skips a beat; she is beautiful, in life and in death.
"It's always been so difficult for us hasn't it?"
"… It still is. You've left me so many times."
His hand still held onto her tightly as if he was afraid to lose her again.
"Things can't be the same anymore. Even though… even though I desperately wish we could go back to those days…." Kikyou looks up into the blue and dark violet blanket of stars. Her eyes are shining from the reflection of the moon, or perhaps a hint of tears.
Inuyasha suddenly grabs her shoulders and holds her close to him in a hug. She looks out into the distance, a bit shocked, but feels so warm.
"Inuyasha… do you make wishes on stars?"
"Uh…" He falters for a second before admitting," I don't really know which star to wish on." A small red blush covers his cheeks. Good thing she can't see.
She smiles and looks up again," I always look for the brightest one."
X
Those days that we can never return to again, they hold a special place in my heart and your happy face will be with me for eternity.