Just want to apologize for any mistakes I missed. I edited this chapter, but the words are blurring together. My daughter had been sick, so between no sleep and an E.R. visit, I am drained. Still hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Chapter 57

Sesshomaru panted, his eyes glowing red. Fury coursed through his veins, pushing him to destroy any that was coming near. Kagome was missing. She had been for the past hour, with no sign of her returning. It was unsettling and causing his beast to fight for control. Not only was Sesshomaru having to fight the army around him, but he was having to battle himself internally as well.

His beast wanted blood.

It didn't matter whose.

Until Kagome stepped back into the battlefield, Sesshomaru would not be able to settle. He continued to tell himself that Kagome was a creation of the Kami. That she would be fine, and soon they would return to the West and spend time relaxing with their children and pack. It was a mantra that continued to be repeated over and over.

It barely helped. He knew Kagome could still die, no matter who created her. She was strong, just as powerful as he, but that didn't erase the nagging fear that just wouldn't leave. He felt no pain, no agony. He still stood, which told him Kagome was alive and unharmed at the moment. But he still didn't like not knowing where she was. It was ingrained into him to protect his mate, even if she didn't need it.

Blood poured heavily down his arm, a large gash over his chest. He could feel the purifying energy trying to seep into his blood. He really was lucky that this army held an unnatural reiki, or far more would have died. The reiki they held burned at a slow pace. Part of him wondered if that was what Riku wanted, to cause pain. To torture. It would not surprise the Daiyokai if that was the case.

"Any sign?" InuYasha could barely catch his breath, his body cut all over and burning. The moment Kagome had disappeared the entire pack, aside of Sango, Miroku, Guinevere and Daichi, had moved towards Sesshomaru, the last place Kagome had been seen. They all worried for her. They knew her disappearance had something to do with Riku, and that didn't bode well.

"No." Sesshomaru sliced through the enemy with a growl, his blood still flowing freely. The army was losing. It was as if Kagome's disappearance caused the West to lose hope, and the enemy to gain it. Already they had been pushed back, and even now the Shiro was within eyesight. The fire had been put out from the blast of Kagome's disappearance, but that was the only thing that benefitted them.

"She will be okay." Shippo refused to give up on his mother. She never gave up on him, or the ones she cared for, and he wouldn't dishonor her that way. "She will pull through. She always does. Your still alive, Sesshomaru. That means she is too."

It was then a second blast shot out, pink and warm. It tingled over the skin of those that around. It seemed to caress them, sinking into their flesh and blood. They all recognized the feel of the person that brought them together. Kagome. Her reiki flooded into them, stitching together their wounds. Shippo's tails regrew, Sesshomaru's and InuYasha's wounds slowly disappearing as if they hadn't happened.

For a moment they thought the war would be on their side. They were healed, their energy, blood, and hope restored. But then they saw the enemy was healing as well. Along with the pink reiki of Kagome surrounding them, it was as if they were frozen, their bodies stiff while Kagome's reiki fought off some kind of purple mass.

It was as if she was pulling it out of their bodies, even while it struggled and fought against everything she was. But she was stronger, forcing it from its host so it ran, tail tucked, right back to Riku, who was slowly forming in the air. He was surrounded by his purple mist, the fog moving agitatedly in jerky movements. Kagome was slowly appearing in front of him, but her demeaner much more calm.

Riku's body let out a screech that sounded more monstrous than anything a demon could even make. He was anger, furious, and fuming. A surge of darkness left him, heading straight towards Kagome. She fought it off with her own shot of pure reiki and the moment the two balls of power collided in midair, the shock wave once again sent everyone flying to their backs.

"I'm getting tired of that." InuYasha jumped up, as did everyone else. The battle between Kagome and Riku continued, all while Kagome pulled the darkness from those that had been forced to fight for a person they didn't want.

Any who had their choice removed were cleansed of the taint in their bodies, and they shimmered before disappearing completely. Kagome was sending them home, letting them return to the lives that they once knew before Riku had ruined everything that was normal.

Those that remained were people who held their own taint. They agreed with Riku, determined to destroy a race that didn't deserve it. Those she did not heal, nor did she stop her army as they attacked, sensing that she wanted them to. The ones that were left, would not help the world to become the place that the kami wanted.

Kagome had managed to turn around the war. Those that were dead, remained that way. She was not a kami, just a creation of one. She did not have the power over life and death, and that anguish, plus her promise to the past Riku, it spurred her on, making her fight with everything she had. She would end Riku and bring peace to her lands.

With every blast of her Reiki against Riku's taint, the earth trembled, causing many of the dwellers to lose their balance. The fight from above was far superior to that of the one on the ground. Aggravation filled Sesshomaru as he was once again interrupted from watching his mate as an enemy attacked.

"End them." He called on cloud, forming it under his feet until he was floating above. One fell swoop of his blade, and the enemy was gone, cut down by the might of The Lord of the West. Now, they held no power, and were simply human. An easy feet for one as strong as he.

With the army gone, Sesshomaru and the others turned his attention to Kagome. She continued to surge against the distraught Riku, his rage making his moves uncalculated. He threw attack after attack. Energy ball or whip left him as fast as he could conjure them. He had no thought, only rage, and that would be his down fall.

"Fight it Riku." Kagome's voice was ethereal. It sounded as if many people were talking at once, but underneath the soft voice they all knew. Kagome was a goddess among them, a creation of peace. "The taint is not yet in your soul. Push it away."

For a moment, Riku froze his dark Reiki stilling around him. Then all of a sudden, his back bowed, a scream of agony leaving his lips. The battle was no longer against Kagome, but against himself. The taint that had harmed so many whipped and spun around the amulet as the jewel began to float from Riku's chest.

The amulet hummed an angry tone, and surprising all, it sent out its own attack. Kagome didn't even try to dodge it, letting the taint penetrate into her stomach. She coughed up blood to the horror of all that was watching. They all tried to rush to her, especially Sesshomaru, but they were frozen to the spot, pink Reiki holding their feet into place.

"Do not interfere. This is my promise to uphold." Kagome didn't look at them, but her aura shot out, calming any who feared for her safety. She would not lose. Not when she was trying to save the man who had lost so much.

She reached down, grabbing the taint in her hand and squeezing. The amulet began to scream, the jewel jumping around violently while still stuck around Riku's neck. The priest continued to push out the darkness from within his body. Fighting just as much as Kagome was.

No one really understood what was happening. They never expected to see Kagome and Riku working together to kill an enemy they had no idea existed. All this time, they though the priest to have lost his mind, and instead they learn that it was simply overrun, not lost.

"This is the end. I will free all of those souls." Kagome pooled her reiki into her hand, sending it shooting out along the trail of taint the amulet had used to pierce her. It screamed in pain as she purified it. A trail of pink was left as it floated away into the sky and disappeared in little beads of ash.

The moment Kagome's reiki met the amulet, they all looked away as a bright light blinding them. It glowed from inside the jewel, the fight continue inward as all the corrupted souls were healed. Once the light died off, all dark mist had disappeared, leaving Riku floating on a bed of pink reiki. He didn't move, panting as the amulet still hovered over his chest.

Little balls of light escaped the jewel, cracking it with each released soul. The power was fading, the evil and malice disappearing as each soul was released so they could return to the Kami. When the souls were gone, the amulet exploded into a fine dust, leaving an empty leather strap to fall back onto Riku's chest.

Slowly Kagome lowered the fallen priest to the ground as she walked towards him. Sesshomaru found himself able to move, and he rushed to Kagome, meeting her as her feet touched the earth once more. As soon as he grabbed her shoulder, she pulsed once more, sending out another blast of reiki.

This time it went through everyone, keeping them from falling over. It focused on the scorched earth, touching and healing any trees and plants that had been burned in the fire. Again, if the plant had lost its life, it remained dead, but those that still clung onto what life they had healed and bloomed right there in front of everyone's eyes. The West was more beautiful after Kagome's touch than it had been before the war.

Finally, the reiki around Kagome seeped back into her body, healing the hole in her stomach. She collapsed against Sesshomaru, relaxing as he scooped her up and began to nuzzle into her neck. She allowed him a moment to scent her while she managed to catch her breath. She had never used that much power before, and never for so long. It drained her, exhausted her. She reached up, cupping Sesshomaru's cheek to ensure that she was okay, and she felt him relax under him.

A sob broke their moment, and they all looked to Riku who was struggling to stand. He covered his face, his entire body shaking as he stood to his feet, hunched over in disgust at himself. "Please, Kagome!" He was begging, and she felt pity rise to her heart at the pain he was in. Like Riku had expected, he remembered everything that happened, every horrible and deranged thing that he did. It was a pain he couldn't live with.

"Sesshomaru." Kagome place a hand on her mate's chest, looking up to him with tear filled eyes. Using the last of her energy she pushed her memories into his mind. She let him see what she had learned about Riku so he could understand what it was that she was asking. "Make it quick and painless."

He nodded, readjusting her so he could hold her with one hand. He had no plan to release her any time soon. A flick of his wrist, and his toxic whip cracked in the air, followed by the sound of a thud. Riku's body fell to the ground, his head rolling a few feet away. They heard the faint, "Thank you", that disappeared on the breeze, and in that moment, they all felt peace. The war was over. The West had won, and soon a new future would be among them.