-1Counterbalance

Chapter 3: To the past…. and on to China?

By Kaguya's Chaos

The God's watched with slight irritation at the rough handling of the young miko. Kagome's angry voice echoing eerily as it came out of the glass that served as a peek hole into the mortal world. The God with fiery red hair sat back and watched as the girl told the hanyou to 'SIT' five or six times and then continued on her way.

He had breathed a sigh of relief when the hanyou had stopped her from taking the book back to the library. She had gone through a lot and wouldn't have thought this little trip into the book was anything too special. I mean, she traveled into the past through a WELL for crying out loud. If she had brought the book back, she would have forgotten about it.

He stifled a chuckle as the hanyou was again 'sat' for his horrible language. At least this would be an interesting wait, until the fun really began. The others in the room watched with varying expressions of amusement, eagerly awaiting the young miko's next trip into the book.

:With the gang:

Kagome walked jerkily through the forest, heading for Kaede's village. She knew that Sango and Miroku were waiting for her, as well as little Shippo. 'Stupid Inuyasha and his stupid big mouth!' Kagome thought angrily as she stepped up her pace a bit. She reached the village in record time and snapped open the flap of a door. Heads jerked up at the motion and eyes widened as Kagome sat down on the floor in front of the fire.

Everyone blinked before grins spread across four faces. Shippo leapt up from the place he had been sitting in and launched at Kagome. The girl smiled down at the kit with warmth and settled back to stroke his tail, absentmindedly. Miroku greeted her, along with Sango, with big grins plastered on their faces. Kaede gave a small smile and questioned her about her day at home. Just as Kagome was about to answer, a pissed off Inuyasha burst into the hut.

"Wench! Y-"

"SIT! Inuyasha I just got back! Can't you even pretend to be civil for more then a second!" Kagome interrupted before he could finish the insult. After a while, Inuyasha peeled himself out of the hole he had made and sat with a pout on his face. Kaede watched the hanyou and shook her head at the childish antics before returning to the meal she was making. It was going to be a long day…

:Later that night:

Kagome sat, propped up on the wall of the hut and lazily stared into the flames. Miroku sat across the fire from her in a slight meditation. Sango was gently cleaning her katana and checking the rest of her gear. Shippo was rummaging through her back pack and Inuyasha was….somewhere…. (Can anyone say…clay pot?)

"Hey, Kagome? Where'd you get this book?" Shippo asked with curiosity and held up the strange, plain looking book. Miroku's eyes instantly cracked open and Sango whipped her head toward it. Kagome tried to ignore their strange reaction to it and took it from Shippo's small hands.

"Uh, Souta and I went to the library and I found it there."

"The place with all the books?" Miroku asked in confusion. Kagome smiled and nodded trying not to show her nervousness. Shippo stared at the book in curiosity. It gave him a creepy feeling. Miroku and Sango also inspected the demonic-feeling book. Kagome just smiled at them a little more sheepishly and scratched the back of her head.

"What's it about?" Shippo asked, trying to regain her attention. Kagome frowned as she tried to think about what it was about. Something to do with getting your hearts desire? She shrugged and answered with a simple, "Don't really know. I didn't really get to look at it."

Shippo sniffed the book and looked up at Kagome in question. "Can you read it now?" He asked. Kagome froze and thought about the last time she had opened the book and the handsome man she had encountered. A blush tinted her cheeks just as Inuyasha walked in. He sniffed the air and turned an accusatory glance to her.

"What the hell are you thinking about?" He asked in suspicion as he eyed her. Kagome bristled at the look and huffed. "None of your business." She turned back to Shippo and smiled. "I guess I could read a little bit, but not right now, ok?" Shippo frowned in disappointment and nodded in agreement. Sango released a sigh of relief and Miroku visibly relaxed. They both looked to each other and agreed to talk to their friend about the strange book later.

Sango stood up and plastered a smile on her face. "Hey, Kagome? You want to go take a bath?" Kagome smiled back and nodded. "Sure! Let me get my stuff!" Kagome gathered her bathing supplies and didn't notice when the book mysteriously appeared in with her stuff.

:Elsewhere:

The Gods looked down on the time traveler and shook their heads. Feelings of slight irritation, humor and impatience, permeated the room and hovered around the others like a thick cloak.

"Her friends are going to become a problem."

"They are already posing problems."

"Especially that young kit!"

"I foresee the houshi and taijya causing more problems."

"The hanyou will be the worst. Especially with his connection to the miko."

All of them nodded and continued to watch the miko closely. Each having their own thought's on how the future will be. They would have to keep a sharp eye out for trouble. The red haired God sat down quietly and placed his head in one of his hands, propped up over looking the portal to the human world.

The others in the room sat down as well and watched the events unfolding with critical eyes.

:Back with Kagome:

Sango sat in the water opposite Kagome and gave the girl a searching look. She had been acting weird since she had returned. Well, stomping in all angrily wasn't unusual, mostly due to Inuyasha's stupidity. She had been acting weird since that book had been pulled out of her pack. It was a suspicious book with an even more suspicious aura.

Kagome noticed Sango's searching look after a while and faced the taijya with confusion. "What's wrong, Sango?" She asked briefly hoping this had nothing to do with the strange portal book-thing. Her blue eyes flashed with her own suspicions on the book. 'Was I supposed to find it? I mean, I know the freaky bird was there and all, but why was I chosen to find the thing? Who did I piss off up there?' (The God's laugh at this thought sent their way.)

Sango snapped out of her thoughts at the soft question posed to her, and focused on Kagome.

"Kagome? Didn't you feel the strange aura on the book?" Sango asked bluntly. Kagome blinked and sheepishly smiled. 'Dang. Why did you have to ask that one?' "Yeah, but it sort of drew me to it. While in the library, a strange bird called me up the stairs and to the book." She admitted and shrugged her shoulders, trying not to make a big deal out of it. Sango raised an eyebrow at this explanation and her eyes widened incredulously.

"A bird? A bird called you up the stairs and toward this demonic book?" Sango asked in disbelief and Kagome nodded. Sango shook her head and dropped the subject. 'How does Kagome always seem to find herself in these kinds of situations?' She asked herself as she got out of the water and dressed. Kagome smiled and said she would stay here a while. Sango frowned a bit and sighed. "Alright, but yell out if something happens, got it?"

"Sure! I'll be back soon, promise."

Sango sighed again and shook her head, turning to leave the hot spring with a foreboding feeling. A sudden thought came to her and she turned back around and handed Kagome a dagger. "Just in case." She said with a slight smile. Kagome smiled back and nodded. Sango grinned for real this time and left the clearing.

Kagome watched the older girl leave and reclined in the water further. Her thought's kept returning to the handsome boy and the book. 'I wonder if that was all a dream. I mean, that couldn't have really happened, right? But what about what Inuyasha had said?'

Twenty minutes later, Kagome got out of the spring and dressed in her jeans and shirt, putting the dagger Sango had given her in its sheath at her hip. She brushed her hair back and put it into a braid over her shoulder. She gathered her supplies and placed them into the pack she always kept them in. Just as she was turning away, something caught her eye. There on the ground, lay the mysterious book.

The Universe of the Four Gods.

:WS:

Sango walked slowly back into sight of the village and released a breath of air she hadn't known she had been holding. 'I don't think I should have left Kagome…what if something happens?' The feeling of foreboding grew with that thought and she stopped in her tracks.

A shout in front of her made her look up to see Inuyasha heading her way. Her eyebrows lowered and her shoulders stiffened. With the look on his face, he was not happy, and Sango was NOT in the mood to deal with his crap.

"Where's Kagome! That wench is STILL bathing!"

Sango sighed and her shoulders drooped some. It seems she would have to deal with his short temper after all. 'If only I could sit him myself.' She thought wistfully and looked into the anger amber eyes of the hanyou.

"Yes. She is still bathing. It relaxes her after the way you treat her." She said shortly and moved around the miffed hanyou. Inuyasha walked beside her and sniffed in disagreement.

"Keh! The wench-"

Inuyasha is interrupted as Shippo and Miroku come out of Kaede's hut and start heading toward them. Shippo came running forward and leapt up onto Sango's shoulder with his face set in a pensive frown. "What's wrong?" Sango asked the kit just as Miroku drew up to their halted figures.

"Did you see Kagome take that weird book with her when you went to the springs? She didn't read it to you, did she! She promised she would read it to me!" Shippo said all in a rush and ended in a high pitched whine.

Sango frowned and shook her head. Miroku frowned as well and Inuyasha tensed slightly. "We went looking for the book in Kagome-sama's bag because I wanted to examine the strange book and we couldn't find it." Miroku said simply and Inuyasha tensed even more so.

All eyes switched to the hanyou when he turned his back to them and began to walk toward the hot spring. Sango frowned and followed with Miroku at her side and Shippo gripped her shoulder. "Inuyasha! What-"

Needless to say, she didn't receive an answer.

:WK:

Taking a quick peek around her, Kagome sat down and once again opened the book. The words before her blurred and once again, a pink light surrounded the girl. Just as she was disappearing, Inuyasha along with Sango, Shippo and Miroku came running to the hot spring. They watched as the last visages of Kagome vanished into the book. Inuyasha rushed forward and picked the leather bound book up.

"Kagome! Dammit!" He yelled at the book, "Give her back!" Sango and Miroku glanced to each other and each took one of Inuyasha's arms. They struggled with the hanyou all the way to Kaede's, trying to explain why they weren't acting very worried over their friend.

"Inuyasha! She was obviously sucked into the book! We can take it to Kaede to ask for advice on it! She might know what has happened and how to bring Kagome back!" Sango shouted into the hanyou's ear and sighed when he calmed down.

:Into the book we go:

Kagome blearily opened her eyes and looked about her. The soft feel of hay at her back and the steady rocking caused her some alarm. The sound of voices and the clip clop of hooves fully roused her from her sleep. 'What the hell?' Kagome thought as she sat up. 'Where am I? What happened?' Her clouded mind cleared as she remembered the hot spring and the book with startling clarity.

'I'm inside a book!'

:XP:

KC: There! Just another crack-pot chapter by yours truly!

Kagome: Well, it wasn't THAT bad!

Hotohori: I'm in the next chapter, right?

KC: Maybe. Let's see how good you are first.

Hotohori: Aw!

Sesshoumaru: What about me?

KC::grins: Sure….why not?

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Love ya'll!