She finally saw the huts of her village and she felt a rush of blood shock her face as she saw the many faces stop to stare at her. She felt the same warmth and kindness as she felt when she was alive she walked down the road hoping to see a face she knew but all seemed new to her. Finally a group of women were walking toward the village with a basket of herbs. The women in front noticed a figure standing in the middle of the road as she neared closer to the figure ready to confront her she noticed the familiar features. She dropped her basket full of herbs on the floor and whispered, "Kikyo onee-sama."
She rushed over to the women thinking she might wake from this dream but as she approaches her the figure stands there looking around at the village. "What are you doing here?" Kaede asks. "This is my village and I have come to see after a long time away." "I know who you are please follow me" Kikyo follows the women inside a hut as she turns on the kettle for some tea. "Who are you?" Kikyo says looking over to the woman. A shock hits her face and she remembered why she has come here in the first place.
Kaede notices and knows exactly what she is thinking. "You are here are for Inuyasha but he is no longer at the tree. He was released from your spell not to long ago. Kikyo jerks her head up in astonishment but more in anger, "who are you and how do you know about Inuyasha?" "I know all about the love you two share and the two of you died together on that night 50 years ago.
I know I have aged and look much different but it is me your younger sister Kaede." Tears fill Kikyo's eyes, "Kaede is it really you. You have really grown. Has it really been 50 years? Who has released Inuyasha from my spell? That is impossible" "Dear sister you have been dead for over 50 years and just recently a girl named Kagome and entered this world she found him pinned to the tree and pulled the arrow out we believe she is your reincarnation." Kikyo jumped back at the sound of that, she refused to let the tears fall from her eyes. She quickly gets up and runs out the hut to the tree where in her shock finds that it is bare. It has not trace of anyone every being pinned to that tree.
As she watched the tree in disbelief anger grew inside her, anger that she was alive again to feel this torture, anger that he was not there pinned to that tree by her arrow, angry that her reincarnation did this, angry that Inuyasha betrayed her. "I can see that you are very angry but-" she was cut off. "I will kill Inuyasha for what he has done" she yelled. The anger boiling inside of her ready to explode any minute causing major destruction to herself. "No you must not hurt him it was not his fault that you died; it was a trick by Naraku." Kikyo settled over to hear what her sister had to say Kaede explained to Kikyo all that has happened.
All Kikyo could do was cry, she cried till she didn't have any more tears to cry. "Kaede I must leave this place as once if what you say is true then it is best that I do not see Inuyasha. And if you happen to see do not tell him about me."
Kaede looked crushed as she knew that she could never separate the two from really loving each other. "Kikyo onee-sama please do not do this, do not put all this burden and turmoil on yourself the gods have been kind to return you to us please do not act like all is lost." Kikyo could hear the hurt in her voice but she knew she could not show emotion.
"Kaede I will return to you it is just right now I need to be a woman" Kaede could sense that she was smiling even though her back was turned toward her. "I understand Kikyo, please be careful." Kikyo walked to the gates where she would recall seeing Inuyasha for their secret rendezvous'. She walked up to her shrine where she sees a set of fresh flowers laying across the soil. "Inuyasha…" she could sense that he was here. "It is a beautiful shrine isn't it?" she turned to see Kaede. "I know you to well Kikyo onee-sama you would want to take in the village before leaving it.
You know ever since Inuyasha got released from you spell I can sense that he comes here often. I always find a fresh bunch of flowers over your grave. It seems that he thinks about you often and deeply misses you. I am sure that he is still in love with you and want--" Kaede was cut off again by Kikyo. "Enough Kaede, I have heard enough hearing these thoughts are torturing my heart I can not take. I just wanted to see myself before I left. It is a harsh reminder of my failure as a miko and a woman."
"I can sense the tears in your heart and the pain in your soil and the guilt lingering in your skin" Kaede say. With that she watches as Kikyo's figure starts to disappear as she walks down the steps and out the village gates.
"Kikyo onee-sama you have been my mother, my father, my sister, my best friend since your death everything seemed to be different. It felt as not only the villagers were sad but the whole world was. Mother Nature sent harsh winds and cold winter and very deathly summers. I could tell that the earth was mad that you died. I am sure the moment you met Inuyasha destiny will change and a new way of the world with be shown. You were a miko and was entrusted to protect the jewel with your life because of that cursed life you could not enjoy the simple things. You are being given a second chance to change that. The day you died I never saw you as a failure but as a hero who sought to do everything for her people and anything for the man she loved."