"Focus a little harder Kikyo … visualize hitting your target before you let go of the arrow."

Taking a deep breath Kikyo used both of her eyes and envisioned the arrow hitting the red dot, then focusing her aim with one eye she released her fingers and hit the bull's-eye.

"Very good! I think that's enough practice for one afternoon. Why don't you help your mother in the forest gathering herbs."

"Okay papa!" Kikyo gave her father the bow and ran into the forest looking for her mother.

Spring was Kikyo's favorite season because of all the smells and colors the forest offered. The sun was not hot enough to make her uncomfortable in her ice blue kimono and the grass felt wonderful under her bare feet. She had finished her archery lesson for the day and wanted to tell her mother how good she's gotten for only beginning a month and a half ago. Kikyo's father had promised to teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow like him on the first warm day after her eight birthday.

"Mother? Mother where are you? I've come to help you collect herbs!"

"Kikyo …"

"Mother!" The little girl was horrified to see her mother lying on the ground next to the Goshinboku "Mother what's wrong? What happened?"

"Go get your father Kikyo, tell him your brother or sister is ready to meet him."

Kikyo ran as fast as she could to the shrine and told him about her mother and the child she was trying to bear. He gathered as many villagers as he could to help him carry his wife to the birthing hut. Day turned into night with still no sign of the child and Kikyo became worried for her mothers safety. She did not hear the baby's cry until the sun showed light of the approaching day.

"Father! The baby is here the baby is here!" Kikyo called out into the village hoping her father was still outside waiting. The priest ran past his daughter and into the room where his wife and second child resided. A shiver crept up her spine as she heard her father scream out in angst, running into the room she saw the floor covered with blood and her mother lying still. Terror griped Kikyo's heart as she ran and threw herself onto her mother "Mama? Mama please wake up!"

The miko from the neighboring town pulled Kikyo off of her mother and spoke to her softly "Stop your crying little one. I am sorry your mother has passed, but you're father needs you right now. Your new baby sister may not survive the night since she is weak and smaller then average. He will need you more then ever right now."

Inhaling and exhaling deeply she calmed herself and looked over at her father sitting in the corner holding her new sister. She was very small and it looked as though she had trouble breathing on her own. Her father's eyes were focused on her mother and Kikyo knew he wanted to be by her side one lat time. Walking to the corner she held out her arms and took the baby from the priest. Rocking her sister back and forth she concentrated all of her love and hope on the baby, praying she would live throughout the night. The purity of her prayer emanated out onto the newborn and both children were basked in a pale blue glow that seemed to light up the whole room.

"Kikyo?" her father stammered.

"It's going to be okay papa, my sister is breathing just fine now. Say good-bye to mother and we'll name the baby." Her father decided Kikyo's sister would be named Kaede after his grandmother.

Two years passed since her mothers death and Kikyo's spiritual powers grew stronger every day. By this point her archer skills surpassed half of the men in the village and her knowledge of herbs and flowers became extensive. Villagers would not find Kikyo without her little sister running around at her feet or playing close by.

"You've become very strong daughter. I want you to start taking on a few of the responsibilities at the shrine."

"You want me to become a miko?" Kikyo asked in amazement.

The priest chuckled "Yes I would. You posses great power Kikyo and I believe it will be put to good use. At least until you're married with a few children of your own."

Laughing and jumping onto her fathers back he carried Kikyo to where Kaede was playing before she jumped off in order to carry her sister. The trio were happy like this for another three years. Singing, dancing, working together at the shrine, and celebrating all of life's gifts.

"Kikyo where are you going?"

"To visit mother's gravesite, would you like to accompany me Kaede?"

"Yes please."

The sisters walked carrying purple bellflowers to their mothers resting place under one of the trees in the forest.

"Why is mother not buried in the shrine?"

"Because she was an ordinary woman little sister. Only priests and priestesses can be buried within the shrine's walls."

"Will we be buried there?"

Giggling "If we become priestesses we will. But father will not hand over his responsibility so quickly. Besides, in a few years I will be old enough to marry and move to the outskirts of the village to start my own family. I don't want to be cleaning a shrine all day."

Kaede began to cry over her sisters words "I don't want you to leave sister Kikyo!" Grabbing onto her sister she cried into her shoulder.

"Now, now stop your crying" smiling down at Kaede "I will never be too far away where you cannot find me, okay?"

"Okay" the littlest sister sniffled and hugged her older sister. Kikyo could have stayed that way for most of the day if she hadn't heard the explosion in the village.

"Kaede we have to hurry!" They began to run back to town and Kikyo could see the dark smoke rising over them "I want you to run and hide behind the sacred tree until I come and get you, do you understand?"

"Yes big sister!"

"Now run!"

Kaede ran toward the tree while Kikyo continued to the shrine "Father? What is happening?"

"A demon is attacking the village. Where is your sister?"

"She's safe. Let me help you I am good with my bow and can be useful."

Hesitantly the priest agreed and allowed his oldest daughter to fight along side him. The beetle demon had a protective hard shell around his body and none of their arrow or spears seemed to penetrate. Kikyo had only three arrows left and her father was left with one. Pulling the arrow back she visualized hitting the demon between the eyes and focused all of her energy on stopping the monster from destroying her home "I pray this arrow hit its mark" she thought as she released her hand. Striking the monster in the head, her father was in awe of the purple and pink trail the arrow left behind and the affect it had on the beast.

"Do it again Kikyo! I'm going to move in closer for a better shot!" The priest and a few other men attacked the demon while Kikyo weakened him with another sacred arrow "How am I doing this?" she thought.

With her last arrow the young woman shot the demon through the heart and purified him. Knowing she was out of danger she ran to where her father now lay on the ground "Papa?" she yelled.

"Stay back Kikyo" one of the men pulled her away "Before you purified him some of his miasma bled out and burned your father and some of the other villagers.

Kikyo could see that her father was no longer moving and she could no longer feel his presence, he was dead. Forcing herself away from the man she walked into the forest towards the Goshinboku where she found Kaede picking the petals off of a flower. She pulled her sister into her arms and told her about their father. As Kaede cried Kikyo looked solemnly at the shrine and knew what she had to do.