Chapter Ten

Note: You guys better like this story. I'm joking. It's just I don't have the books to reference to so I either go off of memory or watch the show like a hundred times then write it down while it's playing.

I woke up. Why did feel so wet? I grabbed a huge rock to help support me up. Alive… Inuyasha…I'm alive! I was in a middle of a grave yard of lost soldier. I walked around and saw a village. I guess I'll stay there until I can figure out a way to find Inuyasha. I became friends with the villagers, especially the children. One in particular named Sayo. I taught them how to tell the difference between medicinal herb and what are poisonesses. It reminded me of the little village children I took care of in my village. I would give anything to be back there.

One day the children and I were in the field looking for some plants when I noticed that two monks were watching me. I observed them from afar. They disappeared when I heard Sayo calling after.

"Ah, I found some! Kikyo! Kikyo! I found some!" I turned around to look at her. "Look, is this a medicinal herb?"

"Yes," I answered. "Well done Sayo. It's called a lantern plant and it's used to reduce swelling." Her brother was calling after me as well.

"Kikyo, Kikyo. What are these?" Another one of their friends ran forward towards me.

"Do these grasses cure anything?" I looked down to see what everyone had.

"Let's see." I could hear the monks were talking from behind me. "Excuse me, monk." All the children looked behind me to see who I was talking to. The monks gasped and hid behind the tree. "I see you have been watching me for some time." I said, coolly. The eldest decided to talk first.

"How very awkward. You perceived us did you? Your beauty is so remarkable that I couldn't help but stare at you." What bullshit.

"Spare me your flattery." I said back at him.

"Apparently my educate is in sore need of refinement." He tripped, but it looked like he meant to do it on purpose. A scroll fell out of his robes. That made me highly suspicious. "Gather the scroll for me, will you? It contains a sutra warding off evil. Should a demon touch it the beast true nature would be revealed." Heh, you think a stupid sutra would be able to get rid of me? I'm part of the living dead. I am not a demon. It will not work on me, but still I will have some fun with him. I picked it up.

"How fortunate we have such sutras to protect us." I said while rolling it up. "Here is your scroll." I gave him a reinsuring smile. He was hesitant when reaching out for the scroll. I sent his own spell back at him. "Now, let us go shall we." All the children stood up and followed me back to the village. But before I went the monk yelled something after me.

"Priestess!" I stopped, but did not look around. "I do not know what binds you to this world, but it is certainly not a place for you to linger. Go and return to where you belong."

"What's he going on about?" asked Sayo brother.

"He's a strange monk." said the other little girl. We continued to walk back to the village. When we were walking through the fields some of the village men were saying excellent comments about me.

"Look yonder, it's lady Kikyo."

"Luckily we have such a talented and nice priestess in our mitts."

"Aye, she cures our ales and cures the children."

"It is so."

"We are truly blessed indeed." I started remembering how I arrived on this earth for the second time. The witch Urasua desired the spiritual power of a priestess. So she robbed the bones and earth from my grave and fired my body in her kiln. The soul that is transmigrated this body suits me well. For a second time you wanted me to die, Inuyasha. Why did you betray me Inuyasha? So why did you look sad? Is it because you felt the heat from my hand? The heat of anger? The heat of vengeance? When you called after me I couldn't get your voice out of my head.

"Kikyo?" asked Sayo. "Did you hear me?" I looked down at her.

"Sayo…"

"Kikyo, you will always stay here with us won't you Kikyo?" I smiled at her and kneeled down so that I was her height.

"Tell me, Sayo, are you fond of me?" She nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"That makes me happy. You are dear to me as if you were my younger sister."

"Truly?"

"Yes." She giggled with happiness. She ran back to her house, but not before turning around and waving back at me. I can live here. I can reside in this village. I know I can do it, but the question remains is if I am permitted to do it? That night I walked out of my house and towards the river where I had fallen. I raised my hands to take the souls from my soul stealers. "Come and allow me to lead you the tragic souls of maidens." Souls were gathering around me when I heard a noise behind me.

"Are you able to crossover? You are dead young priestess. You must now pass to the netherworld." It was that monk again. I did not turn around when I spoke to him.

"Would you please over look my presence? I merely wish to live in peace in this village." My soul stealers left for the night. The monk started talking again.

"If you wish to live in peace then why must you steal souls from the dead?"

"I have my reasons."

"You require those souls to sustain that body of yours." He held out a golden ball with a dragon around it.

"What action will you take? I take it you won't leave?"

"I will send you to where you belong. I shall do it for your sake." The ball erupted and it hit me. A dragon was squeezing the life from my body. I gasped. "You can not escape this demon binding spell of mine!" Fool, I am not a demon! "I will extinguish you light and save you soul from eternal misery!" Misery! I already in misery! I grew tired of this.

"Save me? A wrench such you presumes to save my soul!" I made his dragon exploded and in doing so its claws went through the monk's neck. He fell onto his knees and then fell face first in to the ground. The ball was destroyed. "You would have been better to leave me be then to end your life." He grabbed my ankle, gasping for breath.

"Priestess tell me what you purpose is. Time continues for the living and carves their future with each passing moment. However for the dead, like yourself, time stands still. Thus the living and the dead can never reside together. And yet you insist on trying. How tragic…" and he died. Tragic you say. I'm tragic. I heard a rustling from the bushes behind me.

"Who goes?" I see Sayo covering behind a bush. "Sayo, did you witness that?" I go over to and kneel down. "Sayo…" I tried to touch her face, but she was quivering with fear. I pulled my hand back. "Forgive me. I did not mean for you to see such a sight." I stood up and started walking away. I heard her calling me back. I turned around and looked at her. "Farwell Sayo. Please forgive me." And I left the village forever.

I went into the forest. I didn't want to hurt anyone else. I put a force field around the area I was going to sleep here tonight. Only my soul stealers would be allowed in. I jumped onto a low branch and fell asleep. When I woke up I saw a most unpleasant sight.