Previously:

"Now," Sesshomaru said as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "What do you say we end this?"

A smirk spread across her face as an idea began to form. The final fight would certainly be one interesting battle if what she had in mind worked.

Chapter Twenty-One

Love and Hate

Tiny beads of sweat began to gather on Inuyasha's head. His arm muscles burned with acid as he attempted to keep up his massive sword. His lungs and nose burned as well as Naraku's purple miasma floated through the battlefield. After his outrage of Kagura's betrayal, he began using everything he had to kill them all. Although for some reason, Naraku's demons stayed hidden in the surrounding forest as if they were sitting this one out. Inuyasha wondered if it was because Kagura's rebellion had got the demons thinking about rebelling as well.

As Inuyasha covered his mouth and nose with the sleeve of his kimono, he glanced at his friends. Sango and Miroku wore masks to keep the poisonous air from their systems while Shippo and Kirara's demon noses could withstand. They attempted to help with what strength they had left, but he could tell they were just about done as well.

"Pay attention, dog boy," Kagura hissed as she blew away stone roots with a wave of her fan.

"Shut up," the hanyou's pride growled back as he turned his focus to keeping up with the woman. As irritated and fatigued as he was, he couldn't help but notice that the two of them made a good team. As he slashed at daggers that snuck up behind her, her wind sliced through those that he'd missed. It felt as if they'd rehearsed their actions.

The two jumped from opposite ends and as they passed each other in the middle, Kagura waved her fan, sending wind blades just as Inuyasha sent off a wind scar. The two attacks seemed to dance together, strengthening one another as they carved into their enemy's body.

Naraku yelled in pain and frustration. He expected the two of them to be too fatigued to work up an attack that powerful. His six stone appendages curled up at his side, as if they were awaiting his command.

Kagura and Inuyasha stared up at him defiantly standing side by side, panting but still battle ready.

"Give it up, Naraku!" Inuyasha shouted with a slash of his sword for emphasis.

Naraku barked in laughter. "I have the Shikon Jewel on my side. What do you have? A traitorous witch and worthless friends?"

Before the hanyou could reply, an aura caught his attention. He glanced around his shoulder to see a dark orb emerge from the destroyed forest. It hovered there a moment, the grass beneath it shriveling and dying away. Suddenly it was dispelled to reveal Kagome who dropped to the floor gracefully.

"And how could I forget your priestess, who's seeing the much darker side of things now?" Naraku added with a smirk. He laughed maliciously as Inuyasha turned to face her completely.

The woman's whole body still glowed with an ominous black aura. She was wearing only Sesshomaru's outer shirt, but that wasn't what had his attention. The garment was caked in fresh crimson blood. But she didn't have a single scratch on her body. One sniff told him whose blood it was. Her narrowed black eyes were focused on him.

"Where is Sesshomaru?" Kagura asked cautiously. She didn't know what was wrong with the Kagome girl, but there was no mistaking whose shirt that was, or the scent of that blood.

The girl glanced at her. "Dead," she stated, an inhuman voice shadowing hers.

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Dead? Impossible!" He hated his brother, but even he had to admit how powerful and skilled he was.

A wicked grin formed across her face. "He tried to talk me out of it. But this power…" She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she looked back at him, she said, "I just had to test it out. He just happened to be there to be my guinea pig."

"So you killed him?!" Shippo blurted out from the side. Sango and Miroku seemed to consider scolding him for a second but realized they wanted to know as well.

She glanced at him as Kirara joined the three of them before focusing on Inuyasha again. "You didn't like him anyway. Who cares?"

"'Who cares?'" Inuyasha repeated incredulously. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Absolutely nothing," she growled as she glared at him. "I've had this from the beginning."

"Had what? Cold-blooded tendencies?" Inuyasha shouted.

She threw her head back in villainous laughter. "Don't you see? I'd practically become numb over the last few years. I had no choice, seeing how I had to be the 'pure-hearted priestess'." She said those words with mocking anger. "It feels good to finally feel hatred again."

"Since when is hate a good thing?" Inuyasha growled.

"Ask yourself," she fired back. "You certainly didn't learn to love again, that's for sure."

The hanyou narrowed his eyes. "Love has nothing to do with this."

"Of course it does!" she screamed. Her aura pulsed with her emotions, sending a few tangible black sparks into the clearing. She began to stomp towards him, her footsteps leaving behind dead grass. "If you had loved me, none of this would've happened!"

The world fell away to leave just the two of them. Taken aback, Inuyasha stuttered, "But I…"

"You always came looking for arguments! You blamed me for everything! You belittled me every chance you got! And why? You couldn't stop loving a dead woman. And you couldn't stop attributing the hate you felt for her for betraying you to me!" The enraged girl loomed over him, her fists bubbling with dark energy and her aura pulsing, lifting her body and causing it to hover.

Inuyasha stared up at her with shock in his eyes, but she didn't stop. "All that shit just made me angry and the hate began to build up. I shut it away for the sake of our mission to gather the jewel shards. But Naraku can keep the damn thing for all I care!" she shouted as she pointed at the center of Naraku's stone body. "All it's done over the past years is turn me into… this."

Inuyasha finally looked at her. Really looked at her. His mind relayed every hurtful word and every unkind gesture he'd ever thrown her way; every night she'd tossed and turned in her sleep; every victory that had been ruined by his ungratefulness; every defeat that had been made worse by his criticizing words; and every pained expression she'd shown, stained by tears shining clearly in her eyes.

Suddenly, he was in her shoes. Suddenly, he was the one being criticized, the one hurt by unkind words, and the one with a pained expression. Suddenly, he understood why she held so much hate in her eyes right now.

He blinked, causing two tears to slide down his cheeks. She continued to glare, but her body no longer hovered and her body didn't overflow with dark energy.

"Kagome…" What could he say? What words could take away her pain? What could possibly drown out her hatred?

Words simply weren't enough. He reached out and grabbed her hands. He pulled her forward into an embrace, wrapping his arms around her tightly and burying his face into her shoulder. His body quivered as his tears smeared onto her exposed skin. She didn't return the hug and Sesshomaru's fresh blood smeared his kimono, but he didn't care. He just held her with passionate ferocity, willing her with all his heart and soul to realize that he understood her pain and he was beyond sorry for everything he'd done to her.

"It's over," she whispered.

"What?" Inuyasha questioned in confusion as he stepped back to look at her down-turned face. Before he could attempt to read her, an incredible force pushed him back. He yelled in surprise as he flew in the air and skid across the dirt floor, creating a line-shaped crater. He shook his head to clear the dizziness and looked back at her.

Her aura was so strong that her raven hair curled and floated around her. Her head snapped up to look at him. She raised her arms above her head as energy began to swirl and accumulate between them.

"NOW DIE!" she screamed as she threw the deadly sphere.

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The aim was perfect. It went straight towards its target and sliced right through with graceful ease. The howl of agony that filled the air was coupled with the tinkling of the completed Shikon Jewel as it bounced along the dirt floor.

"What…?" Inuyasha began as he watched the sword that had landed in the soft earth beyond Naraku lose its pink hue. He looked back at Kagome whose eyes glowed white. Her aura, although strong, was calm and tranquil. She had unsheathed her sword now and stared at Naraku with deadly determination. Confusion plastered itself across his face as he wondered where the other sword came from. His unspoken question as answered as Sesshomaru suddenly appeared by her side, holding the sword he'd seen just seconds ago.

"Inuyasha, get the Jewel," Kagome said calmly. When he just stared at her blankly, she sighed. "Before Naraku does would be nice."

As he scrambled to his feet, Kagura took in the couple with interest. "Care to explain that little scene?"

"Not now, Kagura," Sesshomaru growled as Kagome walked to her wounded friends.

With a smile, she said, "Let me see that." Her hands glowed pinkish white as she pressed her palm into Sango and Miroku's wounds. She bent down to pat Shippo on the head. "What do you say we end this?" she asked with a kind smile.

Despite their slight confusion, they followed their friend to the offensive line already started by Kagura, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha. As she got closer, Inuyasha tossed the Shikon Jewel at Kagome. She tucked it safely within its human protector before focusing her attention at Naraku.

He glared angrily at them all. "I don't need that to kill you all!" he shouted, although his stone body had evaporated to leave him in his normal humanoid form with only two dagger appendages.

"Give it up, Naraku," Kagome said calmly. "We all know you're not nearly strong enough to take us all on."

Insulted, he roared, "Insolent wench!"

Dark energy sprouted from his palms and shot toward them. The line scattered as they began dodged the angry projectiles. Kagome simply stood where she was, using her pure energy to dispel anything that came her way. As Naraku sent the dark ribbons at the others, he sent one of his piercing daggers straight at her. Sesshomaru's sword parried it away just as the other dagger aimed for her other side. Inuyasha's Tetsaiga sliced through it before it could get close. Kagome's hands circled in front of her as she worked up her energy. She shot it forward as the two brothers continued to protect her from the charging extensions. Naraku summoned a banner of darkness in front of him. Kagome's sphere of pink energy dispelled, but also disintegrated his wall of protection. She sent a follow-up sphere immediately after.

Naraku jumped out of the way with a grunt. With his dark energy concentrated on the girl and his protection, her other allies now focused on him instead of avoiding his attacks. Sango's boomerang flew past. He'd just avoided it when Kagura sent a gust of wind at him, pushing him into the weapon's return path. It drilled him in the side, knocking him to the ground. The grass around him began to burn with blue as Shippo's fox fire ignited the area around him. Jumping into the air, he ran straight into three tiny pieces of paper with characters written on them. Pain flared through his body as Miroku's scrolls erupted with lightning. Kirara's massive paw swiped at him, sending him flying to the ground.

His body smoking and singed, Naraku struggled to stand, the two appendages sprouting from his back lying useless and broken on the ground. Hatred seared through his cold eyes.

"It's over, Naraku," Kagome said gently, her eyes returning to normal. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha stood on either side of her, swords poised in the air. Kagura snapped her fan open and closed beside Sesshomaru as Kirara swung down to her side. Shippo jumped off and stood his ground next to the enormous cat demon. Sango retrieved her boomerang and stood beside Miroku as he took his place next to Inuyasha.

"If there is any good left in you," Kagome continued, "let it prosper now. Death is your only other option."

Naraku glared at her as he panted from exhaustion. He fell to one knee. As he struggled to use his regeneration again, he yelled, "There is only evil and hate left in me!"

Kagome sighed and stepped closer to him. "It doesn't have to be that way. You just saw what happened with me."

"They give you a reason not to give into hate," he spat with a glance behind her at her friends. "I have nothing. All I want is power, the power the Shikon Jewel could surely grant me."

"Then what would you do?" she inquired softly as she continued toward him. "Power won't make you satisfied or happy."

"Silence! You know nothing!" he growled defiantly.

She stopped walked towards him and crossed her arms. "I know that after everything you've put every one of us through, we still haven't killed you. I know that if you turn back on your evil ways now, there may be hope for you."

"Shut up!" he yelled as he shot a sharpened appendage at her.

"Kagome!" Sesshomaru and Inuyasha shouted in unison, hands outstretched. But it was too late.

The dagger pierced her upper chest and exited through her back. The jewel spurted from her body along with scarlet blood. Naraku's hand flashed out and grabbed it from midair. He chuckled villainously as he stood up fully and brought the Shikon Jewel closer to look at. Kagome's body slumped over his appendage motionless.

"Now it's really over. Over for all of you," he smirked. "Shikon Jewel, it is time to fulfill your purpose and grant me my wish. Make me a full-fledged demon and give me ultimate, limitless power! The power of the gods!"

A chorus of gasps filled the air as the Jewel began to shine brilliantly. "You'll all die!" Naraku cooed. "You will never defeat me!"

Naraku's insane laughter cut off abruptly as the precious stone suddenly sprung from his hand and fell to the ground. "What's this?" Naraku demanded in irritation as he bent to pick it up. He held it up, inspecting it in confusion. Its depths swirled with pure white energy. As soon as he made this realization, the jewel seemed to leap from his hand again.

Before he could become enraged with the tiny thing, a tiny sensation sprouted from somewhere on his body. He whipped his head around to stare at the previously motionless girl. She gripped the appendage that protruded from her body with both hands. When she looked up at him, he saw that while one of her eyes glowed pure white, the other glowed charcoal black. Her face was expressionless, holding neither sympathy nor hatred.

"Absolute light by itself is just as powerful as absolute darkness," she said in a monotone, the inhuman voice overshadowing hers again. "After all, love and hate are two very powerful emotions." She paused, boring her white and black eyes into his. "But there is meant to be a balance of the two. That is why Midoriko and the demons within the Jewel normally fight endlessly, neither gaining the upper hand. With the perfect balance, light and dark together is far more powerful than either of them by themselves." She tightened her grip on his limp. "You obviously are and always will be just pure evil. Therefore, you will never attain your aspiration to be the most powerful being."

With those final words, the girl summoned darkness with one hand and purity with the other. The two energies interlocked together and soared up the length of the appendage, disintegrating it as it went. Naraku opened his mouth to cry out, but the interwoven energy consumed his entire body almost as soon as Kagome released it.

She stared at the spot the hanyou used to be for a moment before picking up the Shikon Jewel. The white energy within swirled for a moment before a black tinge began to mingle with it. She smiled. Calmly summoning her miko powers, she healed the cavity in her chest before returning the Jewel to its place.

She closed her eyes and breathed as sigh of relief as she felt it break down and dissipate throughout her body, clinging to both the pure and dark energy she held within. When she opened her mocha eyes to look at her friends, they stared back at her incredulously.

"Kagome, what the hell…"

She shook her head at Inuyasha and smiled. "Let's just go home."

Everyone glanced at one another before looking back at her, deciding that was a great idea.

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Hurray! The update has finally arrived! Lol, man that was probably the longest time it's ever taken for me to update. Life has just been giving me hell. (Along with writer's block!)

So anyway, what'd you think? I know, it's a really short chapter, but I felt that that was the best place to end it. Rest assured that any questions or confusions you may have about this chapter will be explained in the next one. Don't keep let that keep you from voicing them in a review though. There might be a few details that seem explained to me, but may not be, so lemme know. I hope you all liked this chapter. And I hope to not make you wait too long for the next one. Till next time!

Hiko