AN: Hey friends! I was going to wait until I had another chapter typed up before posting this (I like to stay ahead), but I couldn't keep this one from you. BUT FIRST: I want to apologize for the chapter mishap with my last 'special chapter'. I somehow posted a previous chapter instead of the correct one. But, thanks to some awesome readers, they made me aware before it was up for too long and I was able to correct it! Shout out to y'all - you da best!

So...Not sure how many of you are emotional, but this chapter is a sad one. It even brought tears to my eyes as I proof-read. Despite it, I hope you love it for it's intensity. Read, review. Let me know what you think. Enjoy! Love you guys.

An Exchange of Light and Dark

Toga walked through the woods, rubbing his eyes as they blurred with tears. He'd been following Jiro closely as they headed back to the fortress before the sun got any lower in the sky. It would be dinner time soon, they both knew, and their parents' would be looking for them. They'd get in a good deal of trouble if they were found beyond the fortress walls.

Toga had been listening to Jiro talk about how often he went out there and how it was safe because Lord Sesshomaru kept it that way. It was then that Toga had spotted a pair of deep-maroon colored flowers – he wanted to pick them for his mother and Aunt Kiki. Running over to them, he plucked them quickly and stood back up only to find that he'd lost sight of Jiro.

"Jiro?" He called, spinning around. "Jiro, where did you go?"

"Toga!"

Toga spun around again, trying to determine from which direction Jiro's voice had come.

"Jiro?"

"Toga! Where are you?"

"I am over here!"

Toga had taken two steps forward when something dark had surrounded him and he could no longer see. His small body allowed panic for but a moment before he took a deep breath of something foul, darkness clouded his mind, and he went limp within the arms of someone unfamiliar.

Riku lifted Toga easily and walked quickly in the opposite direction. Ignoring the second voice in the area, he made his way back toward his campsite, shoving his churning stomach to the deepest recesses of his mind.

Looking down at the still body he cradled to his chest, his eyes lingered on the round cheeks and small, pointed chin. The child's mouth was open slightly, tiny fangs protruding from beneath his top lip. They served as a reminder to Riku that even though it was a child's life he was about to take, the child was still a youkai, and would likely grow to be as evil and vile as the rest of them.

Clenching his jaw, he lifted his eyes ahead, his resolve firmed once more. He would not waver from his destiny. He would not shy away from his resolve. His curse was all but complete – he just needed this child's blood and he should finally have enough to offer to the Gods. He would see this to completion, no matter the cost.

He would rid the world of youkai, as was his fate to do so.

Several minutes passed as he walked in silence, avoiding the young face of the child in his arms. The sun would not set for hours, yet, but it was beginning its descent in the sky. His shadow fell behind him as the light filtered down through the leaves. The sound of the ocean crashing against the rocks at the base of a cliff reached his ears and he stepped out of the trees into a large, green clearing.

The cliff rose vertically from the ocean, rising high – the ocean far below. To his right, a travelers cave had been established in the cliffside and he laid the child's body down gently in the grass before walking inside to retrieve the items necessary to collect the boys blood.

His fingers trembled as they wrapped around his knife and the stone he used to sharpen it. Pocketing the stone, he slid his knife into its sheath and pocketed it as well. Swallowing, he grabbed the handles of a large, tightly woven basket lined with lard to keep liquid from leaking out. Without removing the lid, he dragged the heavy, blood-filled basket, out into the clearing.

Heading back to the mouth of the cave, his eyes never left the small shape of the boy laying in the vibrant green grass. His silver hair stood out starkly, and Riku forced his eyes to remain on the child – Toga – as his small chest rose and fell with life. Stopping before Toga, Riku realized what a blessing it was to finally know the name of one of his victims – and how fitting that it would be his last.

"Toga," Riku said aloud, and as he'd done every time before, he memorized the child's face.

Killing children was never easy for him. He detested it – but it was necessary. However, as retribution for the sin of taking the life of a child, he doomed himself to forever remember their faces – each and every one of them would be with him until he took his last breath, at which time he was certain he would follow them into hell.

Squatting down beside Toga, Riku brushed his fingertips across the soft skin of the boys cheek.

"Toga," he whispered with one last, lingering look. Riku could not place why, but he felt that this child was more important than just for the simple purpose of helping him enact his curse.

For Riku, Toga was the turning point – the final piece.

Averting his eyes, he sat fully on the grass beside the sleeping child and began the process of sharpening his blade.

Kagome had just broken through the tree line breathing hard, eyes falling on the man she knew must be Riku before landing on the lifeless body lying in the grass beside him.

"Toga," she choked.

Riku's eyes lifted to her and he immediately placed a barrier around himself and Toga. The barrier seemed…strange to her. Different than the ones she'd come to recognize from monks and mikos – or even demons.

This barrier was much stronger than one she'd encountered before. Recalling the journal entry she'd read, she realized the monk hadn't been exaggerating. She could feel the strength of it from where she stood, easily the length of a soccer field away.

"You son of a bitch," she hissed angrily, rushing toward him.

"Toga!" Inuyasha flew past her, Tetsusaiga raised to obliterate Riku's barrier. "You bastard! You picked the wrong child to try to sacrifice!"

"Inuyasha, don't!" Kagome screamed, but she was too late.

Inuyasha struck the barrier with a fury she'd never witnessed from him before. Tetsusaiga clashed against it and for a breath, everything was quiet while the air became electrically charged. And then Inuyasha was thrown back with a blast, his father's fang flying from his hands and straight toward Kagome – pointy end first.

Her eyes widened and she started to pivot out of the way when suddenly she was airborne.

"I should have known you would be unable to keep your promise to stay out of trouble," Sesshomaru said disapprovingly in her ear, arms tightening around her waist. She relaxed against him, all the while mumbling something defiantly.

"Hnn."

They landed beside Inuyasha, who struggled to regain his feet.

Kagome spared him a look before focusing her attention back on Riku. He had taken hold of Toga, his knife held, white-knuckled, in his hand. It reflected the setting sun as it glinted off the newly sharpened blade.

Kagome took a step forward.

Closer now than she'd been before, she could clearly make out Riku's face; she had been correct in her previous assumption – Riku appeared to have a severe case of cleft lip. He had what Kagome could only describe as a crevice of open scar tissue that ran from beneath his left eye down to split his top lip into unequal portions. His teeth were visible through the gap in his lip and though it was a sad medical condition, it added a grotesque quality to his contemptable behavior.

"Heed my warning: do not come any nearer, or I will cut his throat now," Riku menaced, lifting the blade closer to Toga to give merit to his threat.

Kagome automatically lifted her hands and stepped back. Sesshomaru reached forward, grabbing her shoulder and pushed her behind him – a solid wall between what was his and what he perceived as a potential danger. He glared at the sorcerer as he assessed the barrier. It was strong, he would admit.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha growled, looking for a way to get to Toga who still lay limply in Riku's arms as he stood behind his barrier.

Kagome felt useless as she watched her friend's panicked face. He radiated pain and his fear ate away at her soul. She couldn't just stand behind Sesshomaru while Toga was in the enemies hands. She promised Sesshomaru she would be careful, and she would, but she wouldn't hide behind him – not now, not ever.

Stepping past him, she smacked his hand away when he tried to stop her and fixed him with a glare. Raising a brow, he peered at her briefly before nodding once in understanding. He would never allow someone to stop him from protecting what was his – he should be grateful that the woman he chose held the same convictions. He would just have to be vigilant in ensuring that no harm came to her.

"Riku!" Kagome yelled across the distance that separated them.

His eyes widened upon hearing his name and they landed on Kagome. He could feel her energy, flaring around her wildly; dangerously.

"Miko," he said, his speech slightly distorted, "why do you ally yourself with these vile demons?"

Kagome wanted to scream at him, she wanted to insult his stupidity, she wanted to break him down until there was nothing left of him – but he had Toga, so she had to tread carefully. For the moment, he believed he held all the cards and made all the rules – she would allow him to continue thinking so.

Her skin crawled as she watched the man adjust Toga in the circle of his arm.

"Riku, let him go," she pleaded, "If you don't, you're going to force me to do something neither of us will like."

He stared at her blankly, trying to follow her strange manner of speech before piecing it together. Tipping his head, his eyes fell on his barrier, clearly pleased with himself. She lifted her chin, allowing a small smirk. He thought he'd won, simply because his barrier was strong – and it was, but it was no match for Kagome; she was sure of it.

Her reiki flared around her and a spear materialized in her hand. "Riku, this is your last warning," she said, her voice gaining strength, "Put Toga down and walk away, or you won't walk away from this place at all."

Noticing her spear, he quickly raised the knife to Toga's throat, steel against flesh. "You have no advantage, you pathetic excuse for a priestess!" He yelled; his growing aggravation evident.

"Kagome," Inuyasha breathed, panic growing. She held her hand out to him, halting him from moving.

"I hold within my hands the remaining blood I need to bring an end to all youkai!" Riku yelled, "As long as my barrier holds, all I need to do is drain this boy of his blood and recite the incantation. Then I need not worry over the youkai filth beside you, as they will be dead."

Kagome's irritation rose to new heights. The nerve of this guy. Heavy gray clouds rolled overhead, thunder roaring in the distance. The wind picked up and blew Kagome's hair around her, obscuring the indignant look on her face.

"Maybe not," Kagome said, tightening her grip on her reiki spear, "But you'll still have to worry about me. And after killing three people I love, I promise you, your death will be slow and painful."

Riku looked at her as if he hadn't considered her a threat before then. He carefully weighed his options, eyeing each of his opponents in turn before his eyes came to rest on Toga – blade still at his throat. The sun was at his back and he felt it's heat as sweat rolled down his back. Blinking, he lifted his gaze and met Kagome's eyes.

Even if he died this day, at least his cause was worthwhile – he was ridding the world of evil. Bishamon would surely hold him in high regard and take pity upon his soul. Taking a deep breath, he set his resolve.

Kagome saw it in his eyes the moment his decision was made. Riku drew the blade over Toga's throat with a swift, practiced motion.

"No!" She screamed, and everything around her seemed to slow down. Drawing back her arm, she was aware of both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru flying past her at the same time that her spear left her fingertips. She watched it in slow-motion as it soared straight towards Riku's barrier.

"Stop!" She yelled to the two inuyoukai rushing, head first, into danger.

Her spear collided with Riku's barrier and the earth shook beneath their feet. A massive blast blew Sesshomaru and Inuyasha back and Kagome shielded her eyes with her arm as the shockwave rushed around her – her hair and clothes thrashing furiously.

Riku rose from his cowering stance, glancing around the clearing. He saw that the youkai were already regaining their feet, and the miko was powerful in her own right. No one had ever been able to break through his barrier before. Quickly reaching out for the small hanyou, he held him over the basket.

Kagome returned her eyes to the sorcerer and watched in horror as Toga's life leaked into the basket he was suspended above.

Feeling her heart falter in its ability to contract, her legs shook, and her knees threatened to give out. Tremors overtook her entire body and she felt like she might be sick. From across the field she heard a noise – the gurgling sound of someone choking on their own blood. Her heart rate doubled and somehow she could hear it pounding past the ringing in her ears.

Toga's blood spilled from his body, his life draining from him with every beat of his heart. The very thing giving him life would be responsible for snuffing it out.

"Toga," Kagome breathed, her nerves beginning to burn. Never before had she felt so panicked; so deeply affected by something.

She felt a rush around her, a shift in the way the air settled, becoming heavier – oppressive. Her eyes slid to Riku and she felt everything within her quickly becoming an inferno.

Toga was a child.

Kagome fisted her hands, seeing red.

He was innocent!

Everything around her seemed to blur at the edges and she felt like she was ablaze, consumed with fury and affliction.

She screamed, raw and ripping through her like a caged animal.

It was the sound of misery.

The ground beneath her trembled and broke away, splintering out in every direction like the cracking of an ice-covered lake. She advanced on Riku, heat trailing behind her, charring all in its wake. At that moment, nothing else existed for her and she failed to notice the reactions of the youkai in her presence. Sesshomaru struggled to move, unable to take his eyes from her. Inuyasha fell to his knees – awe and dread.

Riku's breath caught in his throat. The miko was on fire. No…it was as if there was a fire burning from within her, trying desperately to break free of its confinement. He could feel her immense power as it radiated from her in waves, crashing against him with a fury that had him truly terrified.

The rise of a phoenix.

Sweating profusely now, he tried to focus on emptying the hanyou of his blood – it wouldn't be much longer now. He nearly had enough, but the miko was descending upon him quickly. Glancing up at the sound of scraping metal, he realized she was much closer than she'd been a moment ago, wielding two wakizashi.

Focusing his reiki, he called upon the shikigami of the afterlife, drawing them to the mortal world to do his bidding. They multiplied rapidly between himself and the miko.

"Attack!" He ordered in a panic.

Deciding he would have to make do with the blood he had gathered, he discarded Toga to the ground and began his incantation:

"Istu misano diime emir,

Motaro echijine icho anibe,

Manami! Narini! Rernomi!"

Glancing up, Riku quickly realized that his shikigami were no match for the miko. In fact, it was as if she barely even recognized their existence – she kept her blazing eyes firmly upon Riku as, left and right, she eradicated the spirits. They attacked ruthlessly, but they weren't enough to stop her. Kagome wielded her swords with a fierceness that Kenshin would have been proud of had he been present to witness it.

Nearly there, she saw the panic flash across Riku's face as he rushed to put up another barrier. Part of her wanted to laugh. Instead, she felt her face set into a mask of rage at his audacity. Discarding her wakizashi, they dissolved before hitting the ground at her back and she sprinted forward.

Her blood was boiling, her breathing labored, but she was centered. She could feel the power surging around her, blanketing her. It was suffocating and comforting, all at once.

Far behind her, Sesshomaru leaned heavily into Bakusaiga, struggling to remain on his feet beneath the weight of her energy. Fear gripped him as he recalled the prophecy. His eyes remained on her as she burned.

Inuyasha had fallen to his hands and knees, forced into submission. Neither Inu could move; all they could do was watch as Kagome's fury whipped around them, holding them in place – the setting sun too majestic a backdrop for such a horrifying scene.

Seven feet. Sex feet. Five.

Approaching the barrier at a sprint, Kagome lifted her hand, reaching out to touch the shimmering dome. She didn't know how she knew it would work, but at this point her decisions were made purely on instinct. She could feel a swell of powers filling her, tingling through her body and lingering on her skin.

The two energies collided, and there was a tremor beneath their feet. The blast that followed was instantaneous, destroying Riku's barrier and splitting a rift into the earth behind him as the immense energy was projected outward. The brothers' watched in awe as Kagome's energy left destruction all around her.

Inuyasha growled. "Kagome!" He could barely breathe beneath her oppressive power. His arms shook with his struggle to remain upright. Raising his head his eyes fell on Toga's pale, limp and lifeless body and he put all of his faith in the time-traveling, life-saving miko blazing across the clearing to get to his son – her reiki emanating like a beacon.

Sesshomaru had never felt anything like it in the entirety of his existence. It caressed Kagome like a lover and he could barely stand to look directly at her radiance. The energy threatened to bring him to his knees and he nearly gave in. His muscles were burning as he fought to hold reign over his body.

Vaguely, he felt the approach of his guards. Their presence would be pointless and they, too, would be brought to their knees before Kagome. He ignored them and focused on the woman currently forcing him to feel an emotion he hadn't felt before: fear.

Hanyou and daiyoukai watched with bated breath and Sesshomaru knew, to his very core, that this power out-rivaled even his own. Lightning struck nearby and a loud crack of thunder shook the earth – the prelude to the heavy downpour that followed.

Sesshomaru looked at Kagome as the rain drenched her and the wind whipped her hair furiously. He was enraptured by the woman he had chosen to keep, even as her skin blackened, charring like the earth she walked upon. Sesshomaru felt a pain in his chest – something else he'd never felt before – as the prophecy played out before his eyes. Struggling to move, he knew he needed to reach her. If he didn't…he couldn't bear to consider what might become of him.

"No!" Riku cried, hands raised in fear as Kagome approached him.

Kagome recognized the gesture; saw the fear in his eyes. She felt some of his anguish and was met with some of her own. In a fraction of a second, she decided to show this man the mercy he hadn't shown Toga.

Gripping the front of his kimono, she tugged him furiously forward, placed her hand wide across his chest and, on instinct, her light flowed through him as she glared heatedly into his eyes, daring him to look away.

Bright as the sun, he was wrapped in a white heat that surrounded her.

Throwing his head back, he screamed in agony and horror, trying to rip himself away; she held him fast and he was consumed by her light. Every dark secret, every evil thought. All of the horrible things he'd endured and the equally vile sins he'd committed. His torment, his suffering, his hatred. Every inch of his soul was laid bare before her and Kagome ripped the darkness away from him, suffocating, burning and drowning it in light until there was no room left within him for anything but.

Tears trailed lines down her cheeks as she felt his pain and felt her spirit breaking for him.

Fare across the clearing, youkai struggled to inch forward, shocked, as Kagome exchanged light for darkness. As her light surrounded the sorcerer, his mouth slackened in a silent scream, face raised to the sky. The pain of his soul lessened as the miko took his darkness from him, infusing him with a radiant purity that freed him from his heartache.

She didn't stop until Riku was free of the hatred that bound him.

Kagome saw movement from the corner of her eye and glanced around her. Young children surrounded her, their faces twisted by sadness. It took her a moment to realize that they were not whole – their bodies were crystalline and shimmered around the edges. So many lost souls…what did they want with her?

Or were they there for Riku?

Kagome looked into his face, registering with sadness that he was actually quite handsome, no longer marred with the condition that cursed him – she had healed not only his soul, but his face as well, it would seem.

Riku's struggling became less frantic before ceasing altogether and she released him. He fell listlessly to the ground. The impact was jarring, and as Kagome turned her back on him, his body disintegrated, floating away on the breeze – away from the horrors of the world, finally free of the pain that shackled him for so long.

Falling to her knees beside Toga, she felt all of the tension set in between her shoulders fade away as she gathered him in her arms. The souls of the children lingered around her, looking upon her sorrowfully as she held the hanyou.

Sleeping.

Toga looked as if he was sleeping. Except…his chest didn't rise and fall with life's breath. His skin, once porcelain, was now an unnatural gray and red-maroon ringed the gash across his small throat.

But it was Toga's eyes that ruined her. His pupils had dilated, nearly filling the violet of his iris. Now, this was not an unusual thing in and of itself – pupils dilated for several reasons – but in Toga's case, Kagome knew.

Working as a trauma nurse in the emergency department of the largest hospital in Tokyo, Kagome was no stranger to the sight of death. She had seen death in many different stages, but the eyes were almost always the same. Upon dying, pupils dilated, and corneas hazed over with an eerie opaqueness. Toga's eyes had yet to haze, but his pupils had expanded.

Anger flared within Kagome suddenly, the darkness in her soul responding to her grief and her shoulders tensed in response.

"Aunt Kiki," the soft voice had her eyes lifting. From the ring of souls encompassing her, Toga stepped to the front, facing her.

"Toga," she cried on a breath, grief-stricken, her face crumbling dejectedly. Tears fell, unchecked, from her lashes as she stared at her small, silver-haired hanyou – so much like his father.

Walking up to the woman who'd shown him so much love, Toga put his hand to her cheek, and she leaned into him. "It is okay, Aunt Kiki," he told her, "Please do not cry."

Lifting her hand to cover his, she made a vow to herself. "It's not okay, Toga," she said softly, gazing deeply into his soul, "But it will be," she promised.

The youkai present watched her intently, holding their breath and listening to her talk to someone they couldn't see. They may have thought she had gone mad had they not just witnessed the previous events.

Taking a deep, calming breath – that did nothing to calm her nerves – she tried to categorize what she needed to do while she still could – before the darkness took over and her soul became as black as Riku's had been; she could feel it like sludge covering her light, suffocating her purity.

She had brought Sota back from the brink of death – but Toga wasn't breathing; his heart wasn't beating. For all intents and purposes…Toga was dead. But…Kagome couldn't accept that – she wouldn't accept it!

Hugging his body tightly against her, she summoned every gleaming bit of herself – exultation, devotion, adoration; she threaded it around him and plunged it into his body. Elation, acceptance, what purity remained of her – she released it all into his small frame as her body trembled with the energy she was expending.

On a whim – a feeling, really – she reached out to touch the green grass beneath her, her palm pressing hard and flat into the ground. She felt a shift, subtle at first, it soon surged forth bearing the weight of all the water of the oceans.

"Ah!" She groaned, cringing as wave after wave hit her, pressing upon her heavily. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew she was absorbing the energy straight from the earth itself. It flowed freely and directly into her, weighted and boundless, and emptied into Toga's small body.

It was at that point that every youkai in her vicinity was brought to his knees – Sesshomaru included. Forced to release his grip on Bakusaiga, he was brought down with a force that shocked him. Anyone lacking true power couldn't even look at her as the earth gave willingly what she sought.

Another wave swept through her and around her and she grunted with the force of it. Her body swayed and she felt impossibly heavy. Her limbs shook and it seemed that the ground beneath her shook with them. This was draining her, and she felt close to losing consciousness, but somewhere inside her, she knew what this was; what this meant. She would not stop pouring energy into Toga until there was enough to sustain his soul once again.

Her eyes found his soul, still standing before her.

"Toga," she breathed, reaching out to him with a trembling hand, beckoning him to take it, "come."

He didn't hesitate, taking her hand. Gasping, she felt it as his soul brushed against hers and for a breath, she felt all that he felt. His happiness, his love, his trust – such a pure soul, he was worth giving her life for. She smiled through the pain of his soul pulling away from her own and as he re-entered his body, he took a deep, lung full of breath – proof of life.

Not everyone present could see what had happened as they were forced to bow before her, but they could hear the deep gasp that came from the child she held.

As Toga filled his lungs with life, Kagome felt her fight leave her. The fire in her soul and on her skin simmered before fading entirely and she watched, dazed, as black pieces of ashy flesh crumbled away like dead leaves – just as the prophecy predicted it would.

Raising her eyes to locate Sesshomaru, she found him already at her side, pulling her gently into his grasp as Inuyasha lifted Toga from her arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, black invading her vision, "I'm sorry, Sesshomaru."

"Hush, Kagome," he said, working to keep his voice calm, "Save your strength." Her body trembled in his arms as the rain stopped as suddenly as it started, colors appearing again on the horizon.

As darkness surrounded her, she felt the hands of the souls on her – touching her anywhere they could, so long as they touched her. She could feel all of them, feel their fears and their regrets, feel their love and their desires. They wanted to be free of the plane they were stuck on. She would allow them to take what was left of her. She would help them move on.

But she ignored them as they took from her, keeping her tear-filled eyes locked on Sesshomaru's face.

"I'm sorry," she breathed again, as he stroked her trembling lip. Her eyes slid closed, depleted, and darkness engulfed her.

Sesshomaru watched, helplessly, as she shed her skin and it was carried away, out over the ocean – west, towards the mingling blues and golds of the setting sun.

Side Note: Riku's incantation doesn't mean anything. I threw a bunch of random words together that vaguely sounded similar to Japanese. Riku is stupid, and so is what he says :) ALSO: I'm posting TWO new stories...just pilot chapters. Let me know what you think and if I should continue them.