AMSND :: Kikyou

Name: Kikyou

Meaning: Chinese bellflower

Gender: Female

Race: Human (ningen)

Age: 17 (before death); approximately 57 upon resurection.

Relations: Kaede (sister)

Hair: Black/Obsidian/Raven

Eyes: Brown/Mahogany/Chocolate

Weapons: Bow and arrows, spiritual powers, Shinidama-Chuu.

Attire: Save her bangs, her raven tresses are tied back by simple white ribbons. Her upper frame is garbed in the slitted-sleeves of a flowing, white haori. Her lower portion is clothed in red, pleated and skirt-like pants known as a hakama. She wears socks and gi, and a little necklace-type apparatus made from plain string and tied in a peculiar bow at the end.

Seiyuu: Hidaka Noriko (Japanese), Willow Johnson (English).

Kikyou was at one time, the sole possessor of the sacred Jewel of Four Souls; the Shikon no Tama. As a miko to the village in which she resided, it was not only her duty to protect the jewel from malevolent forces who desired to obtain and use it for their own, twisted ways but to treat and care for the people and their troubles. She was, undoubtedly, both a highly skilled medicinal practitioner and herbalist.

Then, along came a hanyou (half-demon) by name of InuYasha. For some reason unknown, she refrained from killing him as she had so many others and right then, a bizarre little relationship was formed. He, wary of any hidden agenda she might have and her outward kindly nature, both disliked and distrusted her at first.

As time passed, he noticed she was merely lonely and had no intention of killing him. At this, curiosity got the better of him and he began to follow her around. At long last, they became friends and, when their feelings turned towards the nature of romance, they finally blossomed into the state of full-blown love. After which, a promise was made between the two. Rather than use the Shikon no Tama to become full-demon (youkai), he agreed to use its' power and become all human. This suited a double purpose: not only would InuYasha be able to forever remain with the miko, but also Kikyou would be freed from her duties and allowed to live on as an ordinary woman.

However, in the dark and dank confines of a nearby cave lay the bandaged form of a thief known as Onigumo. Kikyou had stumbled across the dying scoundrel one day and her benevolence had made her take pity on and begin to care for him. In time, Onigumo began to develop lustful and perverse feelings for the miko. Knowing that he could never have her like this and that InuYasha already had her heart, he relied on a last-ditch effort. Offering his body to a host of lurking demons if only they would take revenge and kill InuYasha for him, a frightful being, known simply as Naraku, was spawned.

Naraku was not like Onigumo though. The feelings said thief harbored for Kikyou were pushed down and out of sight. The only desire pulling at him was the want of great power. And of course, the Shikon no Tama fell into his sights. Feeling that its' true beauty would only be revealed in light of corruption, he devised a plan in that sick little head of his.

On the day that the Jewel of Four Souls was to be delivered to InuYasha, Naraku disguised himself as the half-demon and went out to meet Kikyou. He struck her a fatal blow and stole the jewel, leaving a heart-broken and utterly betrayed Kikyou in his wake. Just after that, he placed the jewel back in the temple in which it resided and set the second part of his plan into motion. Taking the form of Kikyou herself, he hid in the forest and, when InuYasha passed by on his way to meet the real miko, he shot at the half-demon. InuYasha, enraged and embittered that Kikyou would do such a thing, and thinking it was her plan all along, quickly ran back to the temple and ransacked it, stealing the jewel.

At this point in time, the real Kikyou had managed to hobble back to the village. Seeing that InuYasha indeed had the Shikon no Tama, she used the last of her strength to seal him to the Goshinboku Tree as he passed it when he was fleeing. She promptly fell to the ground and died, but not before instructing her younger sister Kaede and the villagers to take the jewel and burn it with her body.

Naraku's plan had both succeeded and failed; he succeeded in taking revenge on InuYasha but failed in getting the jewel. And thus, fifty years later, Kagome, Kikyou's reincarnation, unsealed InuYasha and brought the Shikon no Tama into existence once more. Later on, the witch Urasue robbed Kikyou's grave in hopes of resurrecting the miko and using her to do her bidding. The miko was indeed brought back, as a clay and bone puppet, thanks to an ill spoken summon of InuYasha's. The truth of the matter was revealed, though Kikyou declared she had died hating him and could never give up that hate, no matter what had transpired on that fateful day.

Due to a strange resistance on Kagome's part, however, half of the miko's soul was stolen and given back to the girl from the future. Thus, after Kikyou supposedly fell to her death, she acquired the help of snake-like demons known as Shinidama-Chuu, who brought her the souls of deceased women to maintain her peculiar essence of mud and bones.

Kikyou is, without a doubt, the most tragic character of this anime. In life, she was but an innocent young woman with a desire to help others and a soft spot for children. She found love but paid the ultimate price. In death, she is portrayed as a cruel and heartless pot of clay who wants nothing more than to drag InuYasha down to hell and keep him from finding happiness, though it was not he who betrayed her. At times, this may be so, but she obviously still harbors feelings for the hanyou. Additionally, she travels from town to town and village to village, tending to the wounded and healing the sick. By these common folk, she is adored and idolized, most specifically by the children, whom she still cares for.

Kabalarians: The name of Kikyou creates a very passive, easy-going, friendly nature. You love people and desire to get along with everyone you meet. Your desire for sociability and the pleasant things in life makes you too easily influenced through your associations. You have imagination and many ideas but you lack the drive or initiative to put these into effect. It is difficult for you to say "no" and mean it or to carry through with any commitments you have made. This name makes you too lackadaisical.The influence of this name is to lack practicality, system and order, organizing ability, astuteness, and the ability to make decisions and act upon them. Due to procrastination you have many unfulfilled desires. You often lean upon the strength of those around you for guidance. You appreciate the finer things in life such as good clothes, pleasant surroundings, and friendly companions. You find it difficult to tolerate circumstances that are not up to your particular standards.