You are all pretty pissed at me for dropping the chapter like that. Ok then! Read and Review! There is a reference to 'The Demonic Side' here in the first sentence, so I hope I don't confuzzle n e one. ENJOY! This chapter has a lot of describing, not much verbal communicado between the characters. Hey, cant blame them, it is a BATTLE chapter. Oh yeah... GORE WARNING (kinda). Well, this chapter was originally gonna be one super long chapter, but I decided against it ::evil grin:: just to piss you all off I love doing that. NOT REALLY!! It always makes me think you will all hate me! ::cries:: the reason I split it is because it was gonna take me forever to get the rest written. Please forgive me for the cliffie!!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Good Versus Evil: In The Depths of Hell

The wounds Tetsusaiga had inflicted had been deep, only surpassed by the wounds his demon side had inflicted on him when he died. The blood had spread everywhere, causing a very large puddle to form where he had been laying. The ground was saturated with the thick liquid, not able to soak anymore of it in. The cuts were like a twisting rope around his body, wrapping around his torso and legs, ripping open his clothing, inevitably causing most of it to dissipate. He had been left with barely anything to cover his manhood, let alone his wounds. Inu Yasha had only moved when Tetsusaiga was threatened. Now, he was completely gone. In the end, what stopped his heart from beating was his own weapon.

But, the second Naraku spoke ill of his mate, something burst inside the fallen hanyou. His once blank eyes were now a solid red, no trace of another color. The contrast of them to his paper white skin was amazing, and the rich purple, jagged markings that painted his face stood out strikingly well. Faintly, a crescent moon could be seen on his forehead. Inu Yasha's ears were more pointed and the fur covering them stood up on end. His muscles bulged and threatened to rip his skin. The wounds that had been on his flesh were instantly healed. His claws elongated and sharpened, becoming deadlier than any knife on the face of the planet, any sword ever forged. Inu Yasha was a monster, far worse than any other.

He had screamed, just as his transformation came to a stop, and thrashed out at the closest thing. Dereamu never saw it coming. Inu Yasha's speed and agility increased drastically when he heard his mate had gone with another. One thing pulsed through his killer mind. He had to prove the victor and claim his mate as his own once again. His fist hand impaled the pale green creature like water. The skin, upon contact, ripped and Inu Yasha's hand went into the warm innards, bursting through the intestines and stomach first. With a little add in direction, his next target, the heart, was crushed. When he pulled the bloodied appendage from the body of Dereamu, all contents inside the body fell to the ground.

Inu Yasha brought his claw to his face, taking in a deep breath and smirking evilly. He had missed the scent of blood. His knuckles cracked and he looked at the bloody carcass at his feet. Then, he set his gaze on Naraku. He spit at the other's feet and snarled at him. "It all comes down to this."

---

Kagome's stormy eyes opened slowly. She blinked, focusing her eyes in the sea of midnight blue. She couldn't see anything. It was just... blue. Her cheek was pressed against something cold and hard. Her hands went to the space on either side of her face, using her own strength to push up. But, her arms gave way when she was trying to lift herself. Her strength was gone. She had failed them all. Kagome had anticipated being sucked into the mirror and then searching out the souls of her friends, even finding a way to destroy the soul-snatching mirror. What she hadn't expected was being drained of strength. Her eyes closed and she shivered. She couldn't even get up. How was she supposed to be any help?

Mustering up any power she had, she tried to stand again. She managed to get into a sitting position. The black kimono she once wore was gone, instead she was naked. All her bruises from the previous day were shown on her legs. 'I guess clothing doesn't travel well through mirrors,' she thought, disgusted with the whole situation. With her left hand, she ran her fingers across her head, wincing when she came to a particular bump on the back of her skull.

Suddenly, her body pulsed. Kagome looked around, trying to find out why it had happened. She stood on her legs, using power she didn't know she had. 'Did I... just get stronger?' Her body pulsed again. A baby blue haze surrounded the young girl and her hair fanned out around her. 'Why is this...' Kagome closed her eyes, relishing in the power coursing through her veins. Her body was regenerating its lost strength. "Why?" she asked quietly.

"Because you are a miko," a sweet, heavenly voice answered. Kagome's eyes shot open, searching frantically for the voice. No one showed; not even a white light was visible through the blue surrounding her. The haze around her dissipated and she lightly fell to the ground on her knees. 'I am a miko, yes, but why does that have to do with anything?' "Why does that matter?" she called out, searching for an answer.

"Your soul is stronger than others." The disembodied voice said back. 'With a stronger soul, I may have a chance of breaking the mirror after all.' Kagome shivered again from contact of her bare skin to the cold ground. She had to find a way out of this darkness.

---

Inu Yasha's breath came in short, stressed puffs. Naraku's red eyes bore into his own and he groaned in impatience. The hanyou-turned-demon thrust forward in an attempt to attack his enemy. Naraku simply sidestepped. Launching beyond the body of Naraku, Inu Yasha turned, slashing his claws across the other's back. A scream pierced through the clearing.

There was a freezing chill blowing across the grass. The ruby red sky had deepened in its shade, going the color of blood. The white pallet that had covered the evil hanyou fell to the ground, a mess of blood and fur. Inu Yasha crouched, preparing for another attack. Naraku growled and ran at Inu Yasha. Their dance began, both ensnared in the rhythmic dodging of their opponent's hits. Naraku grabbed a hold of Inu Yasha's right arm, breaking through the flesh. Bones crushed under the strength of his fists. An angry, pain filled howl burst from the 'youkai's throat. Inu Yasha threw his forehead into Naraku's in an unexpected attack. From as much force as was put into it, the grip around his arm loosened, but the hand remained where it was. Blood spilled from Inu Yasha's mouth as a fist collided with his cheek. Getting beaten wasn't helping this situation at all.

The blood loss from before had caused Inu Yasha to go full demon. Now that he was still getting hit, his demonic nature was growing more and more. Inu Yasha put his left hand around Naraku's throat, his nails piercing the skin, as they seemed to grow even more. His eyes were practically glowing with the need to kill and he was going to fulfill that need. A gurgling sound came from Naraku as Inu Yasha tightened his hold on his neck. Instantly, a dark purple barrier swallowed Naraku and thrust Inu Yasha into the creek. A cackling laugh sprang forth from the evil one's throat as he walked to the now soaking wet hanyou.

"Behold the power of a tainted and nearly completed Shikon no Tama, Inu Yasha," he called, still surrounded by the same barrier. With the flick of his wrist, Naraku had Inu Yasha suspended in the air.

His wounds had healed from his youkai blood; his skin was still paper white and decorated with purple jagged stripes, but the moon on his forehead was like a beacon of light. Inu Yasha's bangs were parted just enough for the mark to show. In a sudden movement, Inu Yasha seemed to grow. His limbs grew longer; the fangs in his mouth caused his gums to bleed from their transformation. The nose on his face became longer, protruding more pronouncedly from his face. Silver shining fur sprouted from the follicles of his skin. The body of Inu Yasha curled into the fetal position before floating, spread eagle, in the sky.

Naraku could only stand and watch. There was nothing he could do. No attack he could make, no barrier could he erect to save him from his fate. Light seemed to spill from Inu Yasha. In midst of it all, Inu Yasha was screaming. His cry was not just of pain. No, it was a hurt like no other; he should not have been experiencing what he was. The toll was being paid as blood poured out of every pore in Inu Yasha's body. The blood loss was remarkable.

A bright light covered everything and all was quiet.

---

Kagome stood completely, determined on finding a way to leave. Cautiously, she started walking. Her arms blindly searched for wall as she made her way through the midnight blue area. She screamed as her hand was penetrated with what felt like a spike. She pulled her left hand from the spear and grasped her wrist with her right hand. She could feel the warm substance run down her hand and bathe her fingers. Kagome's hand twitched as she inspected the wound with her right, uninjured hand. Gulping, she touched the wound.

Seconds before she could properly tell what had happened to her hand, she heard disembodied voices moaning in indisputable agony. Kagome slowly walked towards the sounds and nearly fell over a large cliff. She fell to her knees on the ground as she looked over the rock face. An eerie white light bathed souls in humanoid forms. Each one was wondering around, making horrible noises. With all the courage she possessed, Kagome slowly started climbing down the cliff. Her left hand throbbed as dirt entered the wound. She landed softly on the ground and surveyed her surroundings.

It was like she was outside. Dirt covered the floor, patches of grass here and there. Large rocks decorated the other wise bare landscape. The forms of the souls were that of normal people, with hint traces of clothing formed to them. Kagome moved closer, ducking behind one of the large boulders. She put both hands on the rock, her face between them, watching the humanoid souls. She felt the blood spill from her hand and onto her cheek. Deciding now was as good a time as any, Kagome examined her hand.

There was a complete hole through her palm. Blood poured from the wound, running down her forearm and dripping from her elbow into a puddle. Dirt and grass were mixed into the wound, giving a painful tearing sensation to the young girl. She had to bite her lip just not to make any noise. Kagome shut her eyes tight and clenched her fist, trying to ignore the pain. In her attempt, a low hiss escaped her lips, catching the attention of the souls.

She looked over the rock and watched as souls made their way towards her. No emotion played on their faces, just a blank stare. Kagome cowered and crawled backwards as far as she could. She didn't really know what souls were capable of, especially if they were sucked from their own bodies. Her bare back scraped against the sharp rocks of the cliff she had climbed down on. The souls came in closer to her, encircling her.

END CHAPTER

All right! Don't worry about the voice. It isn't something that is important. It was just... a voice.

Title: I named it this because hey, Inu's basically in hell right now, wouldn't you agree? And Kagome's about to get attacked by Kami knows how many souls. Well... I guess I had better go work on chapter 23, eh? ::laughs nervously and runs off::

Inu Face