Once upon a year gone by

She saw herself give in

Every time she

Closed her eyes

She saw what

Could have been-Paradise

Kikyo shook her head as tears entered her eyes. Slowly the miko got off the floor where Naraku left her. She didn't know what she was going to do but she had to do something other then bleed. Kikyo sighed in relief; she was standing on her own two feet. It was progress but not much. She walked around the room for a few minutes just to get used to being upright.

'Now what?' Kikyo thought, she silently stared out the window to where freedom lay. Wishing, she could be a part of it. Tears started to reform and fall down her face. Kikyo wondered what had happened to her. Who was she? Why was she dressed differently then everyone else? Who was Inuyasha and why did he die? All of these thoughts swarmed in her head. Naraku was answering none of them. She was trapped inside a cold and lost fate.

A shadow was coming up to the doorframe Kikyo braced herself for attack; she relaxed when Kagura walked into the room.

"Do you need anything?" Kagura asked.

"Why…why are you being so nice to me? I don't even know who I am!"

"Because I can empathize with you, I know exactly what you're going through because I've gone through it myself." Kagura answered truthfully.

"How the hell do you know what I'm going through! I don't even know who I am and I have a ghost haunting me!" Kikyo shouted.

"Then I'll tell you, everything, who you really are, what your life was, who your love was, how you died, everything I know about you. But first," Kagura went over to the closet and took out a mirror, Kanna's mirror. Then she dropped on the floor. "So Naraku never knows I told you."

"You…said I died." Kikyo stated.

"Yes, fifty years ago, Naraku killed you, and in his trap, you shot and killed your love, the hanyou Inuyasha." Kagura answered.

"That's why I hate Naraku." Kikyo answered, for the first time in her new life she was starting to understand.

"Among other reasons but that's the largest." Kagura agreed, "But you will soon know the others."

So Kagura told Kikyo everything, everything she knew about her mother. Kikyo was grateful to Kagura. She now understood who she was.

Kikyo went back to her chambers, she laid down on her futon and fell asleep. Her dream showed her what happened.

Dream

Kikyo stepped out of the hut.

"Kikyo Onee-sama?" Keade asked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get you some more herbs. Forgive me, it was because I wasn't paying attention that you got hurt. Does your wound still hurt Keade?" Kikyo lied.

"No, not that much. I'm ok, Onee-sama." Her baby sister answered.

"I'm glad, I should be back in a few hours."

Kikyo took off on a run, she didn't want Inuyasha to wait any longer. She slept in even though she promised him she'd meet him by the sacred tree at dawn.

"I'm late, I hope he forgives me." Kikyo slowed down when she saw the tree, she was almost there. Stopping, she looked around, but Inuyasha wasn't there. "Did he sleep in late too? I'll wait for him at the meadow, that way he'll see me. If he doesn't I'm sure I'll meet up with him sometime today."

Kikyo stood there, in the meadow, and waited for Inuyasha. Then Kikyo remembered that the lipstick Inuyasha gave her was still in her haroi.

'I haven't worn this in front of him yet, I'll put it on as a small surprise.' Kikyo thought taking out the lipstick, but just when she put it on,

"Hah!" Someone struck her from behind on her right shoulder.

Kikyo fell to the ground from the blow.

"Even if you make yourself beautiful with this, your ugly nature will still show the blood the youki you killed is good enough you."

"Nani?" Kikyo asked. Tears were coming to her eyes as the form of her lover was saying these things to her. In desperation she reached out for the fallen jewel.

"Fool!" 'Inuyasha' said as he stepped on her hand. "I would never want to become human!"

Kikyo looked up at him her body trembling with rage. "The jewel needs more blood, I'll slaughter the village."

"Damn you… Inuyasha…you…Traitor!"

End Dream

Kikyo woke up sweating. "That…was Naraku, he tricked me and cut me down, just like Kagura said. I remember."

Kikyo slowly got up from the bed, she wanted revenge for Naraku's trap. But, that still didn't explain why she was alive, he killed her. She should have stayed dead.