I've had this one sitting in a file collecting data dust for some several years now and figured maybe I should post it and see what ya'll think. Actually once upon a time ago I gave you a snippet of this fic but I doubt it would be familiar to anyone since the snippet and what you'll read of this fic don't exactly match. So lets see where this goes shall we? Hope you enjoy; much love for you all. Keva

Oh and one more thing. It's been awhile since I've done a mainly humorous fic and we all know how I am with humor fics if I don't actually laugh while writing it I doubt you will either. Plus humor fics and character integrity is a hard thing to keep in check so I'm crossing my fingers and hope I do good. (Though there isn't much humor in this chapter.)

xx

I watched him die; the victory over evil we sought for so long was finally ours. It was a day to be celebrated by everyone; even those whose lives were never touched by his evil celebrated his death.

Like so many other demons that met their demise his remains were thrown into the bone eaters well as many cheered and rejoiced from the freedom of his scourge. Myself however felt bitter over the victory and somewhat angered by it. It wasn't so much that I was angry that my arch nemesis was dead; actually I was happy he was gone, but something about his demise did not sit well with me.

As a woman who managed to reach the ripe old age of twenty-three while fighting for my life nearly daily in Feudal Japan I had a better understanding of why we were fighting and more importantly what we were fighting for.

And that was why I wasn't as ecstatic as everyone else over Naraku's death. I understood too well that everything and everyone had an opposite. Good and evil, hot and cold, day and night, and man and woman; and it was that first one that bothered me the most.

With the evil gone I knew full and well that another evil must replace it in order to keep the true balance of nature. So would that new evil be worse than the one we just rid ourselves of or the same? I was sure; based on the history of life and death, that when one evil died away a new sinister enemy to all living creatures appeared to wreak havoc upon the lands.

I continued to stare at the well long after the party moved back to the village. This was my gateway home and yet it also contained my enemy which for some unknown reason did not settle well with me.

No; I knew why I was disturbed by it and it all boiled down to how I came to be in the past in the first place. Mistress Centipede was dead and gone and yet she managed to come to life and pull me back to the past so what would stop Naraku from doing the same?

I was no fool; no matter how much Inuyasha was convinced I was. History always had a tendency to repeat itself and with my history I really did not want a repeat performance; one time around was enough for me.

"Kagome?"

I turn to face my best friend and smiled at him. "Hey Miroku." Yes the hentai hoshi was my best friend. Most thought Sango and I were close but we really weren't; we were too different. Her old school ideas (well current ideas as per Feudal Japan) and my futuristic ideas just couldn't find a compatible middle and so it was always a push and shove between us. I'm not saying that we hated each other but at times it would get tiring trying to explain to her that what I would or wouldn't do was normal for me. Then as we both got older we drifted apart; not far apart but apart none-the-less.

Eventually Miroku and I started talking and we became best friends. He understood my differences and accepted them rather than trying to change me and my ways in order to conform me to be like the people of the times.

His violet eyes stared at me in thoughtful contemplation for a long moment before he gave a small nod. "You don't think he's dead; do you."

I shrugged my shoulder. "I want to believe it but…" I turned to face him fully. "Mistress Centipede was dead and she came to life and brought me here. So I can't say for sure if he is dead or not."

Miroku nodded at me in full understanding. "Yes but so many other demons died as well and their remains were thrown into the well and they never came back to life."

"I guess." I nodded and looked back over at the well. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a small comforting squeeze. "Well just know that no matter what happens we are here for you."

A smile curled on my lips at the comforting thought before they pulled down into a deep frown followed by a good slap upside the monk's head. "Will you ever stop being such a pervert?"

He rubbed his head and grinned stupidly at me. "It's who I am."

I shook my head and began making my way to the village. "If you don't change your ways you will be single for the rest of your life." I nodded.

He laughed as he came to walk next to me. "That'll mean that I am free to indulge in my perversion for the rest of my life."

"Yea a very lonely life." I smirked. "But I guess if it makes you happy to be so perverted then who am I to complain." I glared over at him. "So long as that not-so-cursed cursed hand of yours keeps to itself."

"I can't help it if you have a nice bottom." He grinned at me.

I shook my head and grunted at him. The compliment was nice but that didn't mean he had free reign to fondle me when he so pleased to do so. "Stop sucking up." I giggled and nudged him with my elbow. "I know you all too well."

He grinned and nodded at me. "One day I will put one over on you."

"No you won't." I growled in a teasing manner. "If Inuyasha can't then you don't stand a chance in hell."

He sighed deeply in a defeated manner. "No one loves me anymore."

At that I snorted. "Such the martyr. No one loves you because you're a perv. What woman wants to be with a man that is forever touching other women? None that's who."

"Well if women didn't have such nice bottoms I would be a little less inclined to touch them." He wiggled his brows suggestively.

I didn't know if I should laugh or try to beat some sense in him. "Yes put the blame on the female species to justify your curse-ed ways. It makes perfect sense."

"Makes sense to me." He chuckled.

I shook my head and watched him walk to the center of the village where the female's were chatting and laughing only to laugh myself when one of them punched him squarely in the nose. "Serves you right." I snorted before I moved to where Sango and Inuyasha were standing and chatting and joined in the conversation; completely forgetting about my apprehension over Naraku's death and the well.

xx

It was a week later that I decided that it was time to go home and let my family know of our victory over our enemy and to let them know I was still alive. It had been over a month since I was home last and was certain that my mom would be worrying about me by now.

I said my goodbyes to my friends and told them that I would be back in a week or so and made my way to the well. I was convinced that this trip through time would be like every trip before. Jump in, blue light, solid ground, and home. My worries over Naraku and the well; I determined, was just my imagination going wild so I jumped into the dark pit not thinking anything would be different.

Yet as much as I thought it was going to be the same as it always was it wasn't.

As I landed into the blue/black void between the past and the present I was greeted by two voids with a view of what was at the end of each tunnel. To my left was the bottom of the well that led me home to my right there seemed to be a fierce battle going on with the dead demons that were thrown into the well. I knew they were dead demons as there were a few that I had killed myself and were thrown into the well fighting in the battle.

Really I should be shocked by this change of events but after some of the things I've seen in my life it took a lot for me to be shocked by anything. I mean a magic well was something I never thought in a million years was something that could be real and yet here I am at the bottom between two different times five hundred years apart.

As I stared at the battle between the demons I shook my head and figured that that was their fate upon their death. So I was going to move on and go home until…

I cast one more glance at the battle waging on when something caught my attention. It wasn't that they were fighting or who was fighting but it looked as if all the demons were attacking something instead of fighting each other as I assumed they were.

I took a tentative step towards them hoping my movements wouldn't draw their attention my way. I mean it wasn't that I was worried about them attacking me or anything as I could easily purify them. I was a miko after all and as I aged my powers grew and thanks to a certain demon lord; much to Inuyasha's dismay, who taught me how to use them when I accidentally burned him. I was able to use them flawlessly and create barriers, walls, and so long as a demon was touching me (which I had to allow) I could purify everything around me but whatever demon was touching me. It was something I had to learn as Sesshoumaru was getting quite tired of being burned on accident when I was training my powers. Actually it was the first real trick he made me learn in the name of self preservation; his self although I think it was my self as I was sure on more than one occasion he was going to kill me.

But I digress.

As I watched the demons fighting something kept catching my eye but as soon as I would try to decipher what it was the view would be blocked again. Getting frustrated and quite tired of all the growls, screaming, howling, and all the other noises the demons were making; I reached out and purified the demon closest to me. Not really sure if I could purify the dead but hey it was worth a shot.

When it fell to the floor in ash I grinned evilly. Who knew I could kill the dead? Then again were they really dead in the first place? Maybe demons never truly died and were only trapped between life and death for eternity until someone like me set them free. Who knew and really I didn't want to analyze the complexities of life and death for youkai.

Anyway once the demon that I purified was out of the way there was enough of a gap for me to see who or what they were attacking. Really I should have known but I wasn't all that surprised to see who it was; Naraku. However I was shocked at the state he was in.

He was so powerful in life that here in the in-between I just couldn't believe he was losing. His left arm hung lifelessly against his side swinging unnaturally with every move he made. Obviously it was dislocated; which by the odd shape of his shoulder should have told me as much anyway.

Blood covered the majority of his body and from the looks of it most of it was his own. Scratches marred his strong face, several large gashes covered his chest and legs, his hair was clumped with blood, and his eyes. I'd have to say that was what disturbed me the most; those eyes I had seen so many times, blood red and deadly were now dull and no longer held that same sharp crimson they once did.

They were a dull brown and the whites around them seemed grey and tired. I had to wonder if he had been fighting this battle since his arrival a week ago. Then again from the state of him it was clearly obvious that he had been.

So now I had a serious decision to make; leave him and go on with my life or save his sorry butt. My sense of morality already made its decision and my sense of self preservation wanted no part of it. Then again as much as he was my enemy he was still a living being AND more to the point he wasn't fighting like I had seen him do so many times. No powers, no tentacles, nothing. It was almost like he was human? It couldn't be possible.

Maybe he was still a youkai and was unable to use them here since none of the other youkai weren't using any powers either. This battle was brute strength and nothing else.

I watched as he took a hard hit to the chest and fly back hitting the shimmering blue/black wall behind him. He gasped, coughed, spit up blood, and dropped the sword from his right hand. It was then all common sense went out the window along with any other rational thinking I would normally have.

Using my powers I powered my way through the horde of demons blocking me and made my way over to the dark kumo. When I came to stand in front of him he glanced up at me wearily and closed his eyes like he was waiting for me to finish him off.

I didn't have time to explain to him what I was doing; hell I couldn't even explain it to myself. What I did know was that the demons were closing in on us and all I had time to do was react. So standing over him, straddling his legs, and making sure we were in contact I exploded my powers out; purifying everything around us.

Once they all fell to ash I returned my attention to the being at my feet and kneeled down next to him. "Naraku"

He didn't open his eyes to look at me only a small cough and a small wheezing whisper. "Thank you."

It took me back to hear those words from his mouth. "Well I couldn't leave you to suffer like this." My own words triggered something in my mind something that I had always thought about when it came to him. He was a sufferer.

I knew full well that Onigumo suffered a hard childhood. Hated by his own parents, shunned by his village, abused by all those around him; it was no wonder he grew in to a deviant. He never knew true compassion until Kikyo and that one little handful of care that Kikyo gave him caused him to fall in love with her and sell his body to demons to become whole and have the only being he ever loved or thought he loved as his own.

Yet just like so many others Kikyo shunned him which just served to throw him deeper into his anger, hatred, and unfortunately a misdirected sense of lust for a woman his human heart loved and his soul despised.

Then to add to his despair he was filled with mindless demons dodging his every thought and tainting his good intentions into something dark and evil. Just another torment he had to suffer through on a constant basis.

No wonder he wanted to be whole and just when he got his wish he was defeated and cast into the well only to suffer a whole new torment in this pit. I couldn't help but feel bad for him. Never once in his life did anyone ever care about HIM just for him. How could he ever know compassion or true love when no one ever bothered to give it to him?

As I stared at him he looked so weak and vulnerable and my sense of compassion pressed me to help him. Granted this was how his pain with Kikyo started but I wasn't Kikyo nor would I ever be or want to be for that matter.

With a deep sigh and a quick prayer to the Kami above I made a decision that I hoped with my entire being that I wouldn't come to be sorry for later. I grabbed his right arm and draped it over my shoulders. "Come on." I whispered softly and began helping him to his feet.

His heavy tired eyes cracked open slightly as we rose to our feet. "You have come to take me to hell."

I shook my head and began making for the second tunnel that would lead us to my home. "No; I'm not taking you to hell. I'm your savior." Which sounded a little odd to my ears. Who would have thought that I would ever save my long time enemy? Not me; that's for sure.

"Savior" He repeated; like it was the most foreign word he had ever heard in his life and it probably was. "Who would want to save me?"

I drew my brows in thought as we slowly shuffled towards the opening to the well. "Do you know who I am?" It was a stupid question but really I didn't think he knew who I was.

"An angel of the Kami?"

That just confirmed my suspicions. Either he was that far out of it or he wasn't the same Naraku we killed a week ago. "I'm not an angel and I'm taking you home." His answer was a simple grunt as we stepped up to the ladder leading out of the well.