-1Counterbalance

Chapter 8

By Kaguya's Chaos

Kagome moaned softly with discomfort and shifted on the soft westernized bed. Her cheeks were flushed with fever and her lips were parted as she panted for breath. Beneath her eyelids her eyes moved in a flurry of motion, indicating she was dreaming. She shifted again and groaned.

Hotohori sat beside her bed and watched her with a worried expression. The physician placed a cloth on her forehead and bowed to the emperor, trying to ignore the slight growling coming from the tall figure of the taiyoukai and the shorter figure of the blue-haired suzaku warrior. Hotohori narrowed his eye on the healer and raised a brow in question.

"She has a fever. I have done everything within my power to help her, but it seems she is exhausted both physically and emotionally. She might not recover if her condition remains as it is." The man finished his brief report and bowed out of the room. He kept his head down until he reached a deserted hallway and smiled to the carpet.

'Everything is moving along according to plan.' The man thought as his body shifted and transformed into the body of what looked to be a girl in her early twenties or late teens. Her servant clothing changed into a long flowing dress, and the dark black hair she had in her disguise changed to a light brown.

The woman took one more look in the direction of the miko's room and disappeared with a barely audible 'pop'.

:WI:

Inuyasha watched with irritation as the pink light continuously swirled around him, almost like with the well. His slightly pink eyes had mellowed to their usual glaring amber and his temper had cooled considerably. He let out an impatient sigh and his shoulders slumped. 'Damn this is taking a long time.'

Just as this thought left him, he suddenly stopped "floating" and landed on the hard ground with a yelp. 'It's about time! Now to find the wench and get back!' He thought as he lifted his nose and breathed in carefully. He caught the scent of a city close by and headed toward it. As he neared, he caught the scent of Kagome floating tantalizingly before him.

Inuyasha's eyes pinked slightly when he caught Sesshoumaru's scent as well. His ears twitched and his lips lifted in a silent snarl. The bastard was too close to her for his comfort. Without hesitation, Inuyasha leapt over the walls of the city and ignored the gasps of fright and alarm, going straight for the source of the scents.

His nose lead him to a deserted alley and his eyes darkened to a light crimson. Before him, on the ground, were a bunch of thugs picking themselves up, mindful of their wounds. Inuyasha remembered Miroku describing Kagome getting attacked by these guys and he let out a low threatening growl. His fangs elongated and all his pent up frustration, anger and possessiveness swept through his being, putting his senses on high alert and his temper on edge.

One of the thugs looked up at Inuyasha's slightly hidden figure and sneered. "What the hell are you looking at, ya freak!" He said as he tried to stand up tall and unintentionally signed his death wish. The young man took a step back as Inuyasha raise blood red eyes. His furry triangular ears were pointed and focused to the front and his mouth was twisted into an angry smirk, showing off his VERY sharp fangs.

The man took a step back and then screamed like a little girl before hightailing it out of there as fast as his beaten body would allow him to. The others looked up in confusion as one of their own ran away screaming. Then, very slowly, they looked to where their buddy had run from and let out shrieks of their own.

Inuyasha's blood beast considered running after them and killing them, but his nose caught the scent of jasmine and he stopped in his tracks. The scent was heavily laced with sweat and sickness. His woman was not doing well. His nose twitched when he caught the scent of his brother and another male. This other, unknown, male had been close to his bitch. Too close for his health.

With a howl of rage, the youkai Inuyasha took off in the direction of the palace. The purple, jagged stripes of his heritage stood out sharply and his eyes were glowing a bright red. Yes, he was pissed, and this unknown male was about to know just how upset he was.

:WK:

Kagome's eyes shot open and she sat up sharply to stare at the wall with blank eyes. The abruptness of her movements made all other occupants of the room jump and stare at her with wide eyes. Except for Sesshoumaru, of course.

Hotohori stood up and moved over to the side of Kagome's bed and took her hand. "Kagome?" He questioned softly and squeezed her hand slightly when she didn't respond.

Tamahome knelt beside the emperor and took the girls shoulders in his hands. "Kagome!"

Kagome spun around and leapt out of the bed. Her glazed eyes were looking around wildly until they fell on Sesshoumaru's. "Sesshoumaru! He's here!" She said as she grabbed a hold of the taiyoukai's empty sleeve. His eyebrow raised and he opened his mouth to inquire as to WHO was here, when he felt it as well.

Tamahome, Hotohori and Nuriko felt slightly jealous that the miko had leapt to the taiyoukai and spoke to him rather then them, but let it pass at her words.

"Who's here?" Nuriko asked as he took a step forward and stood beside the distraught priestess and stoic youkai. Kagome faced the worried purple gaze of her newest friend and whispered out her answer.

"Inuyasha."

As if waiting for his cue, the wall beside them exploded and standing in the dust and rubble was a very angry hanyou-turned-youkai. Kagome's mouth dropped open and she pressed her body closer to Sesshoumaru's in her shook. Sesshoumaru briefly registered that Kagome was clinging to him before he took in the sight of his crazed brother.

Inuyasha's glazed ruby eyes swung about the room in a demented fashion before latching onto the shocked form of the female he had claimed as his own, if somewhat subconsciously. He took a step forward and narrowed his eyes at the arm tightening around her petite frame. His eyes slid up the expanse of the arm, over a silk clad chest to glare into the slightly reddened gaze of his half-brother.

The two youkai looked away from each other when Hotohori and Tamahome stood between them. Inuyasha growled low and dangerously before making a move. Contrary to what everyone else was thinking, the hanyou-turned-youkai disappeared and reappeared before Kagome. Before anything else could be said or done, the incensed Inuyasha had her under his arm and was leaping out the same way he came in.

Kagome stared blankly at the fast passing floor and winced at the pain in her abdomen from being manhandled. 'Why does this feel so familiar?' She asked herself sarcastically as she internally rolled her eyes. 'Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be shrieking my head off and pounding my small fists into anything I can, huh?' Again she rolled her eyes at her sarcasm and blamed it on the fever she still had.

:WTG:

"Well, you wanted entertainment…"

"Yes."

"And this IS entertaining…"

"Indeed."

Silence filled the soft white room. One of the Gods' nervously shifted and a slight cough echoed briefly.

"You know, Suzaku is going to be so angry when he finds out you were messing with the miko's group. Especially when he finds out you let the enraged hanyou in the book."

"Yes."

"He'll probably punish you…"

"Indeed."

Another uncomfortable silence fills the room and the God with the green hair finally explodes.

"That's it! I am NOT going to be here when Suzaku comes back! You are both on your own!"

"Yes."

"Indeed."

"…I give up."

:WSAM:

Sango stared at the book as Miroku took a short break. Shippo was dancing around as if he had hot coals under his feet, and clutching at his hair in frustration. Kirara and Kaede were patiently waiting on the outside while on the inside they were just as anxious.

Miroku calmly sipped his tea, loving the increasing drama and anticipation he was drawing from his poor friends. He set down the cup and hid his smirk at the sighs of relief from everyone. He tilted his head back and began to rub at his shoulders, stalling. He yawned loudly and stretched his arms above his head and this seemed to break whatever dam had held the flood of anger at bay.

"God dammit, Miroku! Just get on with the reading!"

"You stupid houshi! Kagome is in danger and you just stop like that? What happens?"

Miroku smiled sheepishly and cowers under the barrage of impatient exclamations. "Maa, maa." He said lifting his hands, "Calm down! I'm reading, I'm reading…"

:WNAK:

Naraku stared down into the mirror in confusion. He didn't understand what it was he was looking at exactly. He had commanded Kanna to show him Inuyasha and his pathetic group and instead was gazing at a strange book. Was the mirror broken? Or was Kanna being impertinent. He glanced to the small void youkai and shook his head. No, she wouldn't have the drive to disobey him so openly.

"Interesting…" He cooed out, trying not to show his irritation and pretending to understand exactly what he was looking at. Beside him, the undead miko raised an eyebrow. Kikyou was looking into the mirror and she could not understand why it still showed the damnable book.

"You understand this, Naraku?" She asked in her cold frigid voice and Naraku smirked, filling himself with deceived importance.

"Of course. They are obviously trying to block the mirror by using the book." He said in his deep voice and tried to stop the uncertainty from leaking out. Kikyou stared at him blankly and Kanna hid the urge to roll her emotionless eyes. She was supposed to be brainwashed, she kept telling herself, and rolled her eyes internally.

Kagura stared into the mirror from the doorway and tried to keep herself from falling over at Naraku's lame excuse. As she turned away from the room, she caught her older sisters eye and smirked. Whether by accident or sabotage, Kagura was amused that Naraku's plans were temporarily on hold. After all, if you can't find your target through magic, you'd have to do it manually.

Soon, they would begin the hunt for the last of the shards, and destroying Inuyasha and his miko, Kagome, was at the top of the list of things to do.

:WKI:

Kagome slammed her fist into the hanyou's side once more and winced as she was jostled for her troubles. Inuyasha's inner beast was still in control and they were running from an enraged taiyoukai, just a few leaps behind them. Kagome closed her eyes as she felt them once again rise into the air, due to the hanyou's bounding and fell to the Earth faster then she would have liked. 'Oh, Kami. I am going to loose my breakfast…wait…I didn't have breakfast this morning…did I? Yeah I did…and some tea…what was that that I ate?' Her thoughts stopped as they again flew through the air and landed on the ground.

"Inuyasha! Stop! I'm going to puke all over you! I swear it!" She yelled out and brought her fist up to smack into him again. This time, the hanyou skid to a stop and Kagome was unable to see why.

Before them was a tall wall of boulders blocking the path Inuyasha had been jumping. He growled out in impatience and shifted the miko over his shoulder again. Kagome took a deep breath, but before she could begin another rant, she was deposited on the ground unceremoniously.

Inuyasha stood in front of her, with her back to the cliff wall. Inuyasha was facing the way they came from, staring at the slowly approaching taiyoukai with bared fangs. Kagome sighed and slumped to the ground. Her back protested any movement and her head was pounding in a strange wild rhythm.

Sesshoumaru stopped five paces from the still out of his mind hanyou. His own hackles were raised and his fangs were slightly bared. "Inuyasha." He growled out in warning, and took another step forward. Inuyasha rushed forward, howling in fury, and Sesshoumaru neatly side-stepped him, knocking him out in the process.

Kagome blinked up at the taiyoukai and smiled slightly. "I'm tired." She said simply and fell backwards, falling unconscious and coughing slightly. Sesshoumaru fought the disgraceful urge to groan and shake his head. He heard loud footsteps and looked behind him to see the emperor's guards fast approaching.

He looked over to the two unconscious on the floor and picked up Kagome, leaving Inuyasha for the guards.

:XD:

KC: I was going to keep going with this and get to another part I was aiming for, but I think I'll leave that for next chapter. Again I have to say that the pairings being voted for are rather interesting. I think I have some semblance of what I want to do…

Read and review please! And remember, I will respond to your reviews from my account, if I can. And I will respond to anything that requires my immediate attention. As you should know, at the end of this fic I will give credit and mention to anyone and everyone that reviews!