Author's Note: I have to say, the overwhelming support of all of my readers regarding my husband's cancer was uplifting. All of you have made me even more proud to be a writer here on FF, just in knowing such beautiful people. So, I shall give an update now that we have received such wonderful news...

My husband's cancer was the cause of a rare birth defect (thus, doctor's were salivating when they found out... -.-) called a 'cistrunk' (not quite sure on the literal spelling, but that is how it sounds), a sort of tube that should have died out when his thyroid moved in the womb, as all do. Unfortunately, his did not, and due to that, cancerous cells formed. Luckily, it had not spread to the lymph nodes- such a small reprieve at the time- and thus... after two lengthy surgeries and some hospital time, it appears he is well. There's a chance he still has the cancer, but nothing serious enough to cause alarm. He will return to the doctor in January for yet another series of tests to confirm, but for now it appears all is well.

It is not only thanks to MD Anderson (the hospital we chose to treat him, though the speediness of their treatments were astounding and for that we are grateful) that he is currently back to his feisty, working self, but also to all of you. I cannot believe the amount of support and kinds words we were given. So, from the bottom of my heart...

Thank you... I love each and every one of you so... so much...

Please excuse the lack of review replies... I promise I will reply in the next update, whenever that may be. Due to the good news, my writer's block has flown out of the window and I've been diligently working on the current stories here on FF.

For your patience, again... I extend my sincerest thanks.

Song for Chapter:
You're the One - Rev Theory, Light It Up

Chapter Twenty-Two: Devastation

The company of wind demons heading to war had just left with Yuji and Youma at the head of the group, leaving Genkai's Temple significantly quieter than before. The elderly and the young had stayed behind, but otherwise the majority had left to try and alleviate a war that soon to blossom even larger than any had expected.

Meanwhile, the current denizens were trying to make peace with themselves, quietly. Yukina, Keiko, Akiye, and the newborn Akiyome had taken to the sitting room of the main dojo, joining each other for tea and a light lunch.

Yukina felt a chill run down her spine and the silence suddenly put her on edge. It had been known that her intuition was stronger than most of the others, but even Mizue seemed to feel the strangeness that settled in that moment. A new mother had instincts unlike most, and now she felt dread creep into her heart.

"Something is not right," she whispered and clambered to her feet. The koorime joined her as a thick sweat began on both their brows.

"We need to leave."

The tremor rocketed the house before they even moved, soon followed by a devastating after math.

None of them could really process what happened, but they knew it was big, foreboding. Screams echoed from outside, soon followed by moans and the rushed scurrying of multitudes of innocent demons.

"Outside, now!" Akiye grabbed Mizue and Akiyome, literally flinging the hanyou and her offspring from the house.

That single act is what caused the mother and her son to be spared from the bomb that erupted... directly under the dojo.

The remaining three women wailed as they were recklessly thrown through the debris. Akiye narrowly avoided a flying hunk of the dojo as she was catapulted from the house. Yukina had somehow become tangled in her arms, something the fire demoness would be thankful for in later times.

When Akiye was coherent enough to shakily pull herself up and to her feet, she noticed her arm was mangled in an odd direction, charred to the point of no recognition. She ground her teeth to hide the cries of agony, instead focusing on the ringing in her ears.

Only then did she notice the flaming remains of their current safe house, the orange flickers dancing high into the skies with a cloud of smoke as black as night leading it. Wind demons were running and the bodies that scattered the carnage numbered in the dozens, if not more. Those that were not dead were either severely injured or trying to aid their fallen loved ones.

"Akiye! Keiko!" Yukina had haphazardly drawn herself to her feet, but she was just as scathed as the fire apparition. The koorime had an ugly mass of dark flesh across the side of her face and down her neck. Pieces of her kimono had become tangled in the gore, a sight the other felt sick to see.

"Kei...ko!"

Yukina had spotted Mizue off in the distance, alive and not nearly in the shape as the two. Akiyome was wailing in her arms, signaling the babe was fine, but one was missing.

Keiko.

"Shit! No!" Akiye bolted for the dojo, ignoring any sense of 'fight or flight' that tried to overwhelm her. She tore through the wreckage, pushing the mortal flames away with her prowess, and refused to stop until she found their other friend. "KEIKO!"

And she found her...

Dead.

The brunette had been impaled with a thick slab of wood to the point of no survival. Once beautiful, hazel eyes had glossed over and blood ran into them from a severe gash on her crown.

"KEIKO!" Tears streamed down Akiye's face unlike anything she had ever felt before. Her emotions were a whirlwind and nothing seemed capable of processing, besides the innate need to save her dear friend that was long-since lost. Bloody hands clawed at the girl's body, trying desperately to remove her from the pike, but it was in vain.

"Akiye, we can't stay!" Mizue had grabbed up the fire demoness with one hand, the other cradling her baby, and shook her violently. "Keiko can't be saved, but we can't die here! We have to get out of this place and now! More bombs are going off!"

"But... Keiko..." Hope had drained from fire apparition's eyes, even as she begged silently to the hanyou. "We have to... help... her..."

"KEIKO!" Yukina was bawling frantically, but even the koorime had gathered her wits. Despite the hiruseki stones dropping to the ground at a rapid pace, she grabbed Akiye's other wrist. "Come on! Please Akiye, come on!"

And thus, the fire apparition took a long look at her deceased friend, crying harder than ever before. She did not take her eyes from her until they were at the tree line and another bomb eradicated what was left of their temple.

"Quickly!" Mizue dragged her companions as best as she could, careful of the charred wrist in her grip. Akiye was still blank, a slate that had been wiped clean, but that did not stop her. They had to leave, and now.

The group had paid little mind to the remaining wind demons following them, so set on their goal of reaching Demon's Door Cave and fleeing from this horrid nightmare-become-reality.

Another bomb exploded just behind the group, knocking any in its area to the ground from both the quivering eruption and the shockwave that followed. Akiyome had been saved, but barely so, as his mother tossed the child onto a bush out of reach.

"Everyone alright?!" Yukina worriedly stumbled to her feet, the charred flesh of her face throbbing fitfully. "We must go! We must!"

She gathered Akiyome into her arms and Akiye and Mizue followed post haste. They fled then, running for their lives and trying desperately to keep up with one another before another bomb could rip them apart.

They made it to the safety of the cave with the last few wind demons near them. For now, it was safe, but regardless they trekked until they came to the door, only to see demons pouring from the supposed barrier.

"What is going on?!" Mizue stared in horror as demons of all ranks piled into Ningenkai, chomping at the bits to get a piece of the humans that resided here.

"The War of Makai has just become the War of Two Worlds."

Yukina was right.

And Keiko was gone...

~:.:{Inside The Darkness, I Fall Apart}:.:~

"What was that?" Avaron furrowed her brow, sitting atop a demon horse at the front of her armies. They had not yet come close to the battlefield, but by nightfall they would be aiding her loved ones in a power struggle unlike any other. "Kikumaru?"

The stoic-faced fire apparition glanced up at their leader, his eyes seeing much further than anyone else could. "My Lady, it was bombs. Explosions of an unreal caliber just to the north of here."

"The north?" Her eyes narrowed and her heart started beating faster. "Those explosions shook all of Makai, and from the direction I would say it is where the battle is commencing."

Worry and dread filled her heart to the point of bursting, the demonic organ suddenly beating a few times to signal this. She felt sick and her skin paled, but for more reasons than one. Not only did she know something terrible had happened, but an unexplainable emotion took place within her. Someone else was hurt, and badly...

"Your orders?" Kikumaru, her General, mounted his own snarling steed and stared at the female leader of the Fire Clan.

"We must ride, and fast. Something dreadful has happened," she murmured and before he could question further, she spurred her demon horse forth and towards the fray.

"Ride, fools!" he shouted to the troops behind them, numbering well into the hundreds.

Battle cries and the noise of beating hooves soon filled the area.

~:.:{I Will Live For Tomorrow And Not Yesterday}:.:~

Yuji groaned and lifted himself from the dirt, dusting off his aching limbs and noticing the rips in his battle armament. Explosions had rocked his body and his company of wind demons, though most had fled into the air to avoid the aftershock. Yuji had been too worried trying to get others out of the way and had been blasted, but he was still capable of moving.

"What happened?" he hollered as soon as everyone began to meet back on the quivering ground. "The damage?"

"None are injured, thanks to you," Youma answered, ruffling his blonde hair. "Explosions have shaken Makai. Do you think they leaked into Ningenkai as well?"

Fear, unbridled and painful, rocked Yuji to the core. He still had loved ones at Genkai's temple and was afraid they had been injured during the onslaught. He had a decision to make, though he was unsure if he needed to head towards the warfront or if he should turn back.

"Yuji?" Tsubaki questioned gently, placing her hand on his arm. "What do you suggest we do?"

When he looked at the company of wind demons, he felt his heart thud painfully in his chest. He knew what they had to do, if only to assure the safety of those at Genkai's temple. They would turn back.

"We must go back to Ningenkai and assure the safety of our families," he ordered strongly, turning his body back in the direction from whence they came. "If I know my sister, Avaron will already be heading towards the war. They won't need our help with her aid just yet. Hurry."

The wind clan followed without a word against his valiant efforts. Yuji had gained their trust and they knew their loved ones could be in danger. Thus, they took flight back towards the Makai Barrier.

Next in 'Revelation, Defamation':
From the devastation, heroes could be born. But what is a hero really? A warrior that charged head first into battle, or perhaps a demon trying to unite Makai under one rule? Either side had their beliefs, and Yomi was strong in his following. Yet, could he handle the rage of a demoness scorned? Coming up, the King of Gandara acquires his first prisoner of war!