Chapter 10

Kagome watched in horror as this putrid black stuff oozed out of the Jewel. The Shirkon no Tama floated a few feet from the ground spewing like crazy. The moment the black ooze touched the ground, it turned the ground barren and dry. As it started to spread outward, things began to die. Before either Kagome or Inuyasha knew it, the sky had turned dark with ominous clouds.

"What's going on", Inuyasha asked as he ran up behind Kagome.

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about all of this." Just as she said that, a huge black demon came out of the Jewel. It's red, shadowy eyes stared coldly at the two. They also just stared in awe as the demon kept getting bigger. It grew larger and stronger as more of it seeped out.

Kagome looked down at the ground, watching the black ooze coming closer to them. It was inches from their feet. Inuyasha hadn't failed to notice either and unsheathed Tetsaiga. He stepped in front of Kagome to protect her, but when he did, he stepped into the black goo. Instantaneously, Inuyasha could feel his demon half's need to come out, but the need to protect Kagome kept it under control a bit longer.

Kagome could see Inuyasha's struggle, she dropped her bow and arrows and also took a step forward. The moment her foot touched the ooze, she felt something sharp in her chest. A bright light surrounded Kagome in an instant and when it dissipated, she looked down to see that she was dressed in the ancient armor that Midoriko wore. Is this real, she asked herself.

Inuyasha lowered his head. He wasn't going to be able to control himself very much longer.

"Inuyasha, you better leave. I have a feeling I'm gonna have to purify the demon. If you stay, you might get purified as well."

"I'm not leaving you, Kagome", he struggled to say.

"No, you have to go!" Inuyasha turned violently to her. He was half way turning to his demon form. Shocked at what she was seeing in front of her, Kagome took a step back.

"Kagome, do what you have to do, but I'm not leaving!" She had to trust Inuyasha's judgment. There was no reason, that she could see, not to.

"Right!" Without hesitation, she looked at the demon in front of them, and raised her hand. She closed her eyes and with every bit of energy in her body, she let out a blue light. Her first attack. It did nothing it seemed, at first, but then one of the four legs that the demon stood on began to crumble like a lump of dried clay. She opened her eyes to see what had happened and gasped. While she was glad to see that the attack had caused some damage on the dragon-like demon looming over them, she had also purified Inuyasha's demon blood by accident; just like she thought that she might have done.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome didn't really know what to say. She wasn't sure if this would be a good thing. She had seen him turning earlier and that would've been a problem, but in his human form he couldn't do too much without getting hurt.

"Keph… This turned out better than I had thought it would. Now I don't have to worry about anything besides killing this stupid demon", he said as he turned back to Kagome. She could see that the purification process had taken a bit out of him. He seemed out of breath, but ready to fight. "I guess I won't need this." He sheathed Tetsaiga and popped his knuckles.

The black demon, angry by Kagome's attack, began to rush toward them ready to chomp on somebody. Each step it took shook the ground. This demon was by far the biggest they've ever encountered. It made Naraku look like a grade school bully. And Kagome knew that beating it up wasn't the way to kill it. She was going to have to purify it all. Even if it meant using every last bit of energy in her.

She began to prepare herself to attack again. She closed her eyes, but was suddenly pushed down to the ground. Kagome looked up to see that Inuyasha had pushed her out of the way from the demon's attack, but had gotten caught. She screeched in horror as she watched him being grinded in between the demon's teeth.

"Inuyasha!" She immediately stood up and raised her hand again. She attacked again and again and again. She attacked until she had nothing left. With each beam of light that left her body a bit of her soul went along with it. Her power was coming from her enormous soul, but after so many continuous attacks, she lost a lot of herself. She was drained and fell to her knees. Kagome looked up to see if she had done any damage and saw that only the neck and head of the demon was left. She couldn't stop now. She had to save Inuyasha. She couldn't lose him now. With those thoughts running through her head, she twisted back toward her bow and arrows. She struggled to simply hold them in her hands, but somehow she found enough strength to pull the bow back and shoot. The arrow left a streak in the air as it flew straight toward the demon's forehead. It crumbled under the arrow's power and become dust that floated away in the wind.

Inuyasha landed unconscious on the ground with a thump and Kagome, who was completely spent, fell to her hands and knees.

"Inuyasha, please be OK", she cried to herself. Tears burned her eyes and her body was trembling so hard. Slowly, she began to crawl toward Inuyasha. She needed to make sure he was alright. Although she had nothing left within her, she had to try to reach him. Kagome could feel herself fading gradually with each minute that passed, but finally she crossed those few hundred yards that seemed like miles. With her right hand, she touched his face, hoping, praying that he was okay. But nothing. His breathing was shallow and staggered. There was blood splattered all around him. She laid her head on his chest and began to cry like she had never had. Are we both going to die here, she asked herself. This is not how's is suppose to be… We're suppose to live together and be neighbors with Sango and Miroku. We're suppose to be happy.

"There really isn't any need for tears." Kagome was startled. There was no one else there with them when this whole thing started. So who was it that just said that? She looked up to see who it was, only to have her jaw drop.

"Midoriko?" Kagome didn't understand how or why the miko was standing in front of her.