AN: This is just going to be a very short, quick "series" if you will. No longer than 10 or 15 chapters I'm assuming. It could be considered a "Drabble Series". Just a guess. Enjoy.

At the End of Every Road

Sacrificed Priestess

What happens when the life you've lived has been long overdue? Do you keep going on and on, hoping that one day you'll drop dead and never have to face the world again, or do you appreciate it? Fifty years ago, she gladly allowed death to come knocking and take her away, but now…Now life wanted her back in the cruelest way possible. And all she could ask was 'Why?'

Her own life from the beginning of her birth wasn't picture perfect. There was always that stupid jewel to guard with her life which caused her to ignore those dear to her, such as her little sister Kaede. She remembered loving the jewel as well. Though now that she looks back on it, she can't find one good reason as to why she liked it. It only brought misfortune and destruction.

She trudged down the dirt path, her worn out sandals creating a pit-pat noise against the gravel. Her brown eyes were lowered, never looking up because she always knew what she would see.

A small sigh escaped her lips as she neared a pond. Her eyes met the face of which was her own and she wanted to break the surface in a fit of anger. This clay remake was pathetic. Stealing the souls of young women to live was horrible, but she could see no other way. Her revenge needed to be spent, and until it was, she was forever stuck as some rag doll. Everybody used her to their benefit it would seem. Naraku with his foolish desires and Inuyasha's cautious love. Even Kagome was using her.

Kagome…That girl's name sent shivers down her spine. It was such a powerful word to utter…Almost like hers was fifty years ago. Though her purifying powers were not as strong as her own, they were untamed. They spread like wildfire all across the lands when she was angry or in battle. So why would Kagome feel the need to blame things on her or even be envious of her? She was only a clay figure; nothing could make her human save for the feeling of hate.

In fact, Kikyou found herself jealous of Kagome. She envied her carefree youth that existed even with the jewel hanging around her neck, she envied her ability to be so open, and above all, she envied her ability to breathe.

Kikyou pulled the white tie out of her hair, letting the black tresses tumble. They weren't as sleek as they used to be. They had grown dusty with decay. She let her hair soak up some water before wringing it and squeezing it out once more. A few water droplets splashed on her face but she barely felt it. When the water stilled, Kikyou almost laughed out loud at the face staring back at her—a tear on her cheek? Ludicrous.

She wasn't made to cry or feel hurt. She was simply there to fulfill her quest for revenge. So why was she finding it harder and harder to stop? The tears began duplicating and running faster and faster down her face.

And the question had to resurface again.

'Why?'

--

Shock was evident in her eyes when she saw the tentacle burst through her clay body right through her chest where her heart should've been. The shock wasn't one of pure terror though. It was more out of delight. Was this the end of the road for her? Because if it was, she'd be forever grateful. No longer did she care about revenge or lost love…Just the rest she never got back.

Her body was freefalling as it neared closer and closer to the raging river filled with miasma. A dainty smile found its way to her lips and her eyes were beginning to shut. Everything seemed blurry and unfocused but it mattered not. She was finally escaping.

"Kikyou! KIKYOU!" A voice screamed out in shock, terror, and anguish. It was so heartbreaking that she had to focus her vision once more.

Shocking bright red and pure white stood against the hazy purple skies and she knew it was the hanyou she had loved so long ago. She noticed that her heart felt lighter though she knew she didn't have one. It died long ago with the rest of her.

With all the strength she could muster as the spirits were leaving her, she smiled the biggest one she could.

--

She is back among the living and it doesn't feel right. By now she knows her time is running short. Why she came here, she didn't know for sure, but things needed to be set right. She needed to show the world that she was more than some tragic priestess; she was a normal human being.

"I don't want to keep fighting…" She whispered, gripping at her empty chest. She somehow felt heavy and weak.

And when she found herself dying once more, in the arms of the hanyou, she smiled her first true smile.

She was finally living again, the liberated miko.