Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah. You know the drill.

XxX

Tonight was the night. The night that the spell would be cast.

Kagome took a deep breath, dark eyes looking around cautiously for any one who may be around. The forest was silent, the only light being the moon above her, every so often concealed by the clouds drifting aimlessly.

Sutra's for protection that she had...borrowed...from Miroku were plastered to the the trees around her as an extra precaution. A touch of energy and the barrier slid over and around her, enough to keep away whatever might be wandering around a forest late at night.

Brushing her hair out of her face and resting her hands over a the small clay bowl she had chosen, she eyed suspiciosly the strange, green mixture inside. She was almost positive there was black, like ink, streaking through there. A black that had been mysteriously absent before...

Shaking off her suspicions on how much she should trust a cursed liquid she closed her eyes, letting her power drift from her fingers into the liquid, struggling to keep from purifying it like she was so used to doing. Satisfied that there was enough of her energy mixed with the spell so that the Shikon would attract it, hopefully. And not repel it like it was known to do with so many other things.

The Shikon no Tama was eaten by a good many things throughout its existance. And burned. Not much seemed to be able to get through that deceptively thin looking shell of the jewel. She was preying on the hope that a good couple of years of having the Shikon inside her body had made it attuned to her energy.

Muttering softly to herself she took the bowl in her hand, her other hand tracing the words on the sheet of paper in front of her as she spoke, haunting words filling the air around her as she chanted.

Blinking, she saw the liquid in the bowl turn into a pale green mist speckled with her own pale pink power. After a moment of hovering in the air above the bowl it shot off into the distance. Streaming towards its target...Naraku.

XxX

Eyes of crimson red slid open upon the sensation of pure energy moving quickly towards his location. He didn't bother to stand, boredly glancing in the general direction of what looked like some type of mist. It burned through the miasma that was his barrier, and slipped through the open window, curling itself around his body like a strange pet.

He made to wave off the hovering form, and it twined around his fingers, sinking into his skin with a brief tingling sensation. It reminded him vaguely of the purifying power of a preistess, but it did not burn through his skin, so he could only assume the power of the Shikon Jewel had strengthened him beyond whatever petty curse had attempted to harm him.

Almost disappointed at the complete lack of reaction, he stood. He needed a distraction...Perhaps there was something alive nearby that could...entertain him...