When Xu Zhiqiu found Kikyo, she was talking to the villagers, and smiles came to her face much more readily than before.
Seeing how happy Kikyo was, Xu Zhiqiu gradually relaxed, her worries easing. She stood a short distance away, her sword cradled in her arms, and watched as she waited for them to finish talking.
The village surroundings were peaceful, filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. Children's bell-like laughter drifted over from nearby.
Once the villagers finished talking to Kikyo, they left with hoes slung over their shoulders.
Only then did Xu Zhiqiu approach, her lips curving upward. "Kikyo, long time no see."
"Qiu, what brings you here?" A trace of puzzlement flashed through Kikyo's eyes when she saw Xu Zhiqiu, followed by joy.
"I haven't seen you since last time. You were so hard to find, but I've finally found you," Xu Zhiqiu said.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't in a very good mood then, so I left without getting the chance to say anything to you." Kikyo looked guilty.
Xu Zhiqiu freed one hand and ruffled Kikyo's hair. "It's all right. Let's find somewhere to talk."
"All right."
The two went to the village temple.
Once they sat down.
Xu Zhiqiu began asking Kikyo about what had happened in the Illusion Forest. "Kikyo, didn't you want to stay with Inuyasha last time? Why did you leave in the end? Did that mutt Inuyasha do something unforgivable to you?"
A faint melancholy appeared on Kikyo's face. "When I entered the Illusion Forest last time, I entered Inuyasha's illusion. Besides me, Inuyasha also treated that Kagome very differently from everyone else. But I couldn't accept it."
Although she was dead, now that she had been summoned back, she was still herself.
"How could that Inuyasha act like that?"