WD: this just popped into my head and wouldn't let go. Enjoy.

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It was foolish of course to think that something so simple as "Shikon, Dissapear" would work.

So very foolish and I knew it from the moment I uttered it. Perhaps, so too did my beloved Hanyou though he said nothing as he stood beside me in the darkness of the jewel. I know Naraku did, I could hear his laughter from somewhere deep in my soul. Perhaps ...in it's own twisted sense that is what let me be so calm in that moment and after..

That was the end of our Feudal Fairytale, and the beginning of my descent into the shadows and his journey to the light.

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The scratch of the quill hissed across the tanned leather as the last of the ink dried up, leaving the owner to sigh softly and look up at the sky, her dark purple eyes squinting. There wasn't much daylight left so this was a fine time to stop her musing for the day. She'd decided after all this time that she wished to have a sort of glamourized journal of her past, so she wouldn't forget it but that also so that no one would know who wrote it. The original tale was told, and just now after so many years was she getting the nerve to write the events that came after. Rubbing her eyes and yawning slightly, it was no surprise to her when her twin stepped beside her, a hand running through her thick wavy locks.

"Time to come in, Kagome." She felt the kiss through the sheer magnitude of his aura weaving through the air as he knelt to kiss a strand of hair curled around his fingers. Her twin was quite affectionate to her.

"All right, Naraku." Kagome smiled, leaning back on her haunches enough to look up into a pair of violet eyes that were tinged with vermillion. There was darkness in Naraku, twisted and foul, but there was also something else. His features were softer then before, a little more rounded, a little less feminine and unworldly and somehow made him all the more handsome.

At the same time Kagome's features were angular now, her hair far longer and with a blue hue all the more apparent as if it was twilight itself in the tangles about her shoulders. Her eyes had darkened to a blue violet, their eyes and features having met in the middle with only a hint of who they had been separately.

"What are you thinking of, Kagome?" Naraku gave up on making her go inside and sat beside her, reading over her scratchings with a slight nod at the delicate penmanship.

"Continuing."

"I thought it best to start at -our- beginning." Kagome leaned into him. She was safe with Naraku. He was a twisted and usually heartless bastard, but she was too trusting and giving. He craved affection and security and she needed protection and to care for others. He hurt others for he had been hurt, shamed, forced to claw his way for everything and then at the first glimpse of elysian paradise turned to hell he decided to sail the tide as best he could, refusing to settle and instead strive for everything. He'd become the greatest threat to all of Japan.

Kagome helped for she didn't know what else to do on this shocking exciting journey. She had infatuation, friends, a life where she was actually somebody not just slaving under the expectations of school and a someday motherhood. She'd then seen so much her eyes could not and her powers and sense of honor and duty demanded she continue, she couldn't abandon those she adored..and it often meant her own life was at risk.

They'd both been jilted by those they loved, would have done anything for. Naraku's story was well known, for had Kikiyou smiled and given affection even when brought back from the grave perhaps things would have been different. Had inuyasha not been so new to affairs of the heart perhaps he would have realized Kagome could never be just the next love and that it wouldn't require as much if not more work.

Perhaps, perhaps.

Kagome had gotten her happily ever after. The jewel done, her love won, her friends mend and wed and parents..they'd all gone their ways and she'd settled in for a life as the village miko.

And hated it.

She was a modern woman and as a wandering warrior there were certain rights and things she could have as if she'd been in the future, she'd never wandered alone though and had not considered how many liberties she'd been given because of having Miroku, and yes Inuyasha though people spat about his being halfbreed he was still -male-.

Once considered pledged to Inuyasha she was supposed to become a good little wife and stay home, let him do the journeys, win the rice and coin, the only excitement she had was a injury to heal or a child to tend to for others. They'd gotten not far in their courtships. Inuyasha had been away with Miroku gathering supplies for his newly pregnant again wife that Kagome had seen Inuyasha only a scant few weeks a year as they traveled so far.

She'd soon found talking back to a man got her glares, speaking her mind got whispers..even in Edo. She was pledged to a man now she was supposed to become his ever loving ever caring never questioning hearth priestess.

It had all but driven her mad.

Then she'd snapped..as cold final understanding of why Kikiyou would have welcomed Inuyasha as at least he liked fire and conversation in a woman came, why married to a man would at least take away the scorn..

And why it was impossible for Kagome. She found the Inuyasha she grew to know outside of so many situations where they were forced to aid each other a sweet kind in his own way gruff male..but not to her liking. She'd done the unthinkable and called off the relationship.

It had been a relief and he'd confessed then it was why he was staying away so much.

He wanted a good little wife.

No surprise, he wanted Kikiyou.

Oh they stayed friends but Kagome couldn't handle the rumors that they'd done more then held hands. She'd not even kissed him again since returning from her time!

"Stop thinking of him." Naraku's voice was bitter and possessive, and rather then scaring Kagome it made her laugh and relax into his side.

"Sorry. I was being reminded why I'm so happy here."

"Hn." Naraku couldn't deny that. He'd come to wakefulness as a sort of quasi spirit, before the gods. It had been most terrifying and he'd been unable to look at them, finally sensing what true power was. He was Tsukiyomi to Kagome's Amaretsu, they balanced each other. He'd not really been surprised the infuriating little priestess was the high queen of the heaven's favored human.

What he hadn't expected was the offer at a second chance at life if he would be there for her in a way that far surpassed mating. He'd agreed simply to get out of hell, never expecting that the little priestess when brought before them had considered it for a long time before being brave enough to actually meet Amaretsu's eyes to see what the goddess may be thinking and ask what would be best for everyone.

The gasp and utter silence at her questioning had made an impact. Naraku knew he had gasped as well, but he hadn't expected it of the heavenly court. This tiny little female was so selfless it actually made him look at her completely different. She was his opposite. He took, she gave. He hated, she loved. She'd never hunted him down because of hatred but because he was hurting others. It was...strange.

Amaretsu had kissed Kagome on her forehead, explaining that they would be sent back down as hanyou twins with a few twists they would learn on their own. They could keep their name as they would go to a far distant island.

No more had been told, and they'd been each granted a request. Naraku had asked for all they would need to be on the island, getting a smirk from the various warriors there as he detailed exact commands for an army, a fortress, supplies so they wouldn't constantly hunt for survival..it had been to his mind all with the idea of long term preparedness. They weren't going for pleasure so he wanted to be ready.

Kagome however had surprised him with perhaps more cunning then he could have ever guessed. She asked for a future boon, one to not be redeemed yet. There had been another strange silence as it weighed on them that a little mortal could ask of the gods at any time, whatever desired..but they gave it. It told Naraku this was indeed serious and he'd been surprised at the intelligence behind the move. It complimented his own.

They'd then found themselves on a large island, a sort of paradise that took a few days travel even at full speed to get very far. Kagome had remarked at one point it was like Hawaii not that Naraku knew what she meant. There was an abundance of food and the temperature was rather pleasant during most the months however, with plenty of hot springs during the winter. The melding of their looks had been a bit of relief to both once they were comfortable talking. No one would recognize them.

Actually the fact Kagome had laid down the law immediately and told him they were twins now and she wanted to not forget the past but figure out how they could best work together had startled him. That she'd actually sat down and they'd both discussed things they could not tolerate and what they could..and then divided duties so efficiently also surprised him. He wasn't surprised the priestess had a problem with torture and violence but she had said if he had reasonable cause and it wasn't children or innocents she would hear him out. In return he got her full agreement on not torturing the people around them unless they needed, he didn't have Kagura to animate corpses and they needed the people to not fear them to the point of an uprising but Kagome did understand enough fear was needed that they wouldn't try to kill them off either.

The second surprise came when Kagome had insisted he train her as she had no experience as a hanyou. It had been rough and slow, not just because she was still prone to being clumsy but as they had no idea what sort of Hanyou they were now. Spider was out as that would be too much a give away, it wasn't any other form of insect either that they could tell, or reptile.

Three years into life together and having otherwise settled in they found out something else however. Kagome did lament the loss of her miko powers, and seemed to have no special gifts beyond the regular as a hanyou..however when she had been determined passionately to charge her arrows as she once had, and Naraku had been there..also wishing to see it happen..it did.

The stunned silence between the twins was even greater when Kagome realized her senses were dull and looked down to un clawed hands..and when glancing over saw Naraku, darker in color then ever to the point his eyes were black and his skin a dark brown...his hair even longer with his aura far greater.

It had only taken a few moments for the stunned pair to be touching the other's hands, face, in wonder. This was a gift.

It had worked the other way too.

Naraku became a handsome form as the lord he'd taken over but with the changes to his eyes when human and had no powers at all aside his mind..which did seem to become far more capable and cunning. Kagome became a lithe form in silver hued skin, nearly white eyes and her hair also grew..a few shades lighter to a blue like color but still unmistakably dark enough to be black. Her aura also twisted to be a full youkai.

The implications were staggering. If they both tried they could switch off..both hanyou, or one human and one youkai. However they discovered the innate ability to tell where the other was, much like Kagome and Naraku had once felt the shards of the shikon, transferred to finding each other when both hanyou. It made for a clever twist..one Naraku's impossibly genius mind as a human to figure out how to exploit. They could sign.

Minute movements of the body were easy to detect by their sense of the other, even behind walls as long as they were within about thirty feet. At first Naraku tried to come up with a few gestures but Kagome had managed to explain sign language to him, even though she could only remember a few symbols from when it was a fad at her school. Naraku developed it from there.

Really it was a good thing he wasn't that level of brilliant when she was his enemy, his brain was so incredible complex when human..and only to that degree when human, she half suspected he had latent psychic abilities but had no idea how to explain the idea of esp or telekinesis without it being magic. Sometimes the past confused her.

Kagome was still fairly weak in youkai form, but Naraku was nothing if not skilled in avoidance, and began to drill and train her in ways to use your opponents attacks against them so that an issue of strength would never decide if she lived or died.

All in all...nearly a decade together and they felt as close if not closer then any twins born from the start together. They cared for each other, they were loyal, they understood the quirks of the other and there was an unconditional acceptance.

It was why neither wanted to see those of the past...how could they explain to anyone who had once known them? All of Japan would attack Naraku then, all of Kagome's once allies would turn on her. Certainly the priests and monks who had once been in a fury over her mere consorting with youkai who aided humans would never understand.

It was also why, as Naraku looked down at the slumbering form of his now beloved best friend and sister he felt such a strange thudding in his chest. This happiness, this peace, was so alien to him..even all these years later he was terrified that he would lose it. He'd gladly give up the power he'd once had for the mere unyielding and undemanding loyalty of his sister. In truth he'd never really known what it meant to be loved, to be cherished, to be defended even in a childish argument.

Was it any wonder then that in his own obsessive fashion he'd become so very protective of Kagome and her precious freedoms? The things she loved, he now loved. The things that made her cringe amused him when it was spiders or mud but drove him near to madness when it was someone's careless word. He feared for her as a human, he elated in her protective nature when he was human..

He'd wished for power and the world once..so no one could hurt him again.

He'd gained and lost it all..only to have the most precious treasure in his grasp and sleeping against him. The light to his shadow, he'd tarnished it a little..but she was teaching him how to bring the occasional smile to another. If he could only ever truly make her smile to the point she giggled uncontrollably he'd be content. Whatever the gods wanted, they could have done..as long as he could keep this small peace he'd found.

Where hell and it's handbasket dwelled.