Kikyou leaned back against a tree and sighed. She let the wind wisp her hair and blow the leaves around her in a swirling whirlpool. She could almost see her breath mist and blow through her face.

She found that if she sat still as stone and stared blankly at something, taking extra care and effort to listen to her surroundings, then she would blend into the greenery of a woodland forest, and eventually become invisible.

And it would be better that way.

---

Kagome literally hurled herself into her bed after a long day of running around.

Not here, of course.

But back then.

Kagome felt a cold draft come in through the partly closed window. It felt like sharp daggers, but Kagome couldn’t feel them, because of her deep thoughts.

She knew this wouldn’t be a good time to think about Kikyou; it would keep her up all night.

But she tried to imagine how Kikyou felt. How did it feel to have the future you come and ruin your whole life? What was it like to be hated by everyone you know? Or at least have the feeling that everyone does? How was it to have the only person that actually loved you be taken away from you the very next second? What did Kikyou feel when she found that her life was now only running and hiding? And that was filled with mental torture!

Kagome wondered and wondered and still couldn’t believe that her past life had gone through this. Her own! Karma had lead to be created human again. And karma itself caused her to view her own past life. She had gone through this herself, and remembered nothing of it.

Nothing at all.

---

Kikyou stared as the leaves flew on past her range of sight.

Her reincarnation.

Kagome always had a smile on her face. Kikyou could imagine no other expression on her face other than that smiling happiness.

What was it like to be loved by everyone, just for being who you are? Did she perhaps come from a place where everyone was the same and treated you equally? Even if you were an alien from the other side of the world?

But what did it feel like to love someone whose lover is standing in front of you somewhere? And did you feel regret everytime you stole a kiss from someone who was supposed to be the one to get it? The one watching?

Or did she feel that Kikyou was nothing and just another nuisance? Did she even think once at Kikyou’s name, or did she just brush it off like dust?

Kikyou took a breath and softly sang, breaking the shield of invisibility.

how does it feel

to be

different from me

---

are we the same

how does it feel

Kagome broke off on the tune and left the last note of music handing on the air. She started again, with a still soft voice, so she would not disturb anything or anyone.

I am small

---

and the world is big

but I’m not afraid of

anything

I just need to know that I can breathe

Kikyou licked her lips in the sudden warmth in the song. It was a long time since anything musical slipped out of her throat.

---

how does it feel

to be

different from me

are we the same

how does it feel

Kagome didn’t feel the cold draft anymore, not any longer. She had never felt so comforted that much in her life. And she never knew that her voice would make it seem like another person was there, singing with her, making her feel better.

---

how does it feel

how does it feel

different from me

different

how does it feel

how does it feel

different from me

---

In a small room, a teenaged girl slept soundly. It seems that she was sleeping on a song sung more than a century ago, sung by a rejected miko that was leaning on a tree, probably still singing today.

---

how does it feel

to be

different from me

are we the same

how does it feel

---

So here I am, in another hopeless attempt to stitch the two hatred sides together, of pro-Kagome and pro-Kikyou.

Midori Fujiwara