Title: Another's Name, But My Heart

By Lady of the Ink

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but you knew that. I hope. But I do own this plot and all the twists that it takes.

(Just remember, all references other characters make to Kikyo at this point mean Kagome as she pretends to be Kikyo, unless otherwise stated.)

Chapter Five

Why Don't You Get A Job

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It was supposed to be payback for her frightened reaction. He had meant to scare her, to make her stop looking at him with those big, dark eyes. He never expected to feel the way he did. The first touch of his lips on hers had sent a jolt all through him. It was there again, that unnamable something that called to an elemental part inside him that he hadn't even known was there. His fingers stroked through her hair, confirming his assumption on the softness of the silky strands. Moving closer, Inuyasha deepened the kiss.

Kikyo pulled back with a gasp, looking at him with stunned eyes. One hand drifted upward to press against her mouth. At that sight, his attention refocused on her lips, now gently swollen from his kiss. Still caught up in the moment, he leaned forward to pick up where he had left off. Before he could make contact, however, he was surprised with a stinging slap across his left cheek.

A solid minute passed as he looked at her in disbelief. So focused was his attention that he caught every expression as it flitted across her expressive features. First came amazement, as though even she hadn't expected her action. Then was regret, melting into nervousness as she took a good look at his darkening countenance. When he remained unmoving, she gulped, the action bringing a new expression with it: Fear.

With a growl of irritation, Inuyasha surged to his feet. Without a word to the girl on the bed, he strode from the room.

Since it was still his first time inside the castle, Inuyasha didn't have a destination in mind when he stormed out. All he wanted was to put enough distance between himself and Kikyo so that he could think clearly. Maybe then he'd be able to figure out what it was about her that managed to get to him so quickly and thoroughly that he was breaking self-imposed rules after only a few minutes in her company.

As he was crossing the open courtyard, a polite cough from the side caught his attention. Rounding on the person who had made the noise with a less than open expression, he found the priest who had carried out the wedding not an hour before. Crossing his arms across his chest, he raised an eyebrow before snapping, "What?"

The man seemed unaffected by Inuyasha's rudeness and answered calmly. "I was informed by some of the villagers that the reason you needed my help this morning was because the old priest had passed on this winter. Since that position is vacant, I thought I might offer my services to fill it. And since it is apparent that you are the new master of this area, I assumed that you would be the one to see about such a matter."

Inuyasha took a moment to consider his options. While he couldn't care less about this problem, the humans who lived here might have a different opinion. And if that proved true, it meant it was only matter of time before they bothered him about it. By allowing this man to take the job, he would stop complaints before they happened. And should there be a problem and a new priest would need to be found, enough time would have passed for him to have appointed someone else to handle such things.

That decided, Inuyasha looked at the man in front of him with a more critical eye. He seemed normal enough for a priest. He was on the young side, but had an air of maturity about him. Even under intense perusal he maintained his calm, features blank and his hands folded in front of him.

"What's your name?" Inuyasha asked, only just realizing that he didn't know it.

"Miroku."

"Why don't you already have a position elsewhere?"

"Although I have had many opportunities to settle in one place or another, I have not yet found the right place for me. And because of that, I chose to wander rather than be unhappy. Today, when I arrived, I had the feeling this may be the place I have been looking for."

That answer seemed reasonable enough to Inuyasha, and clinched his decision. "All right, you can stay."

A smile crossed the priest's face, the first real emotion he had shown since his arrival. "I thank you for your kindness." With that, he turned and headed back toward the church.

A moment later, Inuyasha continued on his way. Although the discussion with the priest had been a momentary distraction, the second it had ended, all of his frustrations had come roaring back.

He would be the first person to admit that his knowledge of humans and females was very limited. Put the two together and that well of information just about dried up. And now he was stuck trying to figure out someone who was just that.

She had kissed him back. He hadn't imagined it. There had been a response to his actions. An uncertain, innocent kind of response, but a response. So why had she slapped him?

Or, Inuyasha asked himself, coming to the real reason for his distress, why had he felt so bereft when it ended? She wasn't supposed to mean anything to him, and she didn't. Not really. He didn't know anything about her.

But there was the potential for more, and he knew it as surely as he knew his name. Given enough time, that gentle, pure quality that fairly shimmered around her would draw him in. Soon he'd be wrapped around her little finger, and that was something he could not allow.

Glowering at the few people daring enough to risk crossing his path, Inuyasha stormed through the gates towards his army's encampment. Starting upon his return to his new wife, things were going to be different. She would know exactly who was the boss in this situation. It didn't matter if she was scared of him and jumped every time he came near her. It didn't. It didn't.

Fairly snarling by now, he motioned to one the demons currently breaking camp. The soldier looked at him with a questioning expression until Inuyasha unsheathed his sword. As enlightenment dawned, he too, armed himself. It was clear that the new role of lord had already begun to wear thin in one way or another.

A circle of others gathered around the two as their battle began. Soon the air was filled with the ringing of metal grinding metal, interspersed with grunts as the fighters gave their all. Slash, block, and the soldier was forced to take several steps backward under the force of Inuyasha's blows. Not letting his new advantage go to waste, Inuyasha kept pressing forward, keeping his opponent off balance and on the defensive.

Slash.

Dark eyes, uncertain and fearful.

Slash.

A pale hand pressed to a quickly beating heart.

Stab.

A breath indrawn in fright.

With a growl that felt as though it were ripped from his throat, Inuyasha swung wildly, leaving an opening for his adversary. Lunging forward, the other fighter managed to graze Inuyasha's side, opening the flesh in a long, thin streak.

The tinge of pain finally centering his focus, the white haired demon quickly regained his edge. Within another six blows, the fight was over. The soldier was on his back in the dirt, the lethally sharp blade of Inuyasha's sword just pressing against his throat. Sheathing his sword, Inuyasha offered him a hand. As the loser gained his feet, another soldier retrieved his sword from where it lay. It was several feet away, the force of Inuyasha's blow having sent it flying.

Nodding to his men, Inuyasha didn't wait to see them return to their tasks. He continued on his way, slightly calmer now that he had vented some of his earlier frustration. Not that he was entirely at peace. No, he had a feeling it would be quite awhile before he managed to get complete control over himself.

x

Kagome groaned, pulling her knees up to her chest and burying her face in them. She couldn't believe what she had just done. On the list of top ten things not to do, she had just accomplished one, three, and seven. She had let him catch her off guard, kiss her, and then she'd done something to anger him.

Flipping back the covers, she took a moment to note that she was still fully dressed from the veil on her head to the slippers on her feet. She allowed herself a small bit of relief at the evidence that she had nothing else to worry over at the moment. That thought didn't comfort her for long, however.

Struggling not to panic, she forced herself to focus on routine things. First she took a good look at the room she was standing in. It was large, with windows placed to let in the maximum amount of light. A four post bed sat in the middle of one wall with a large trunk at its foot. Against another wall was a small stand containing a wash basin and matching pitcher. The rest of the room's furniture included a long bench by the fireplace, a closed armoire, and another trunk in the corner.

Kagome assumed this to be Kikyo's room, due to the feminine colors it was decorated in and the sheer size of it. When she had fainted, Kaede must have directed Inuyasha to this room. It made sense, since it was to be hers from then until Kikyo returned to end the charade.

Taking a seat on the bench by the fire, Kagome sighed. Kikyo's plan had only just been set in motion, and she was already feeling uncomfortable with it. If it weren't for the subtle and not so subtle threats against her family, she never would have agreed to go along with this. But she had no choice, not really. She would just have to see everything through to the end, no matter who got hurt along the way.

At that moment, the real Kikyo was slipping through the trees behind the castle where she had lived her whole life. It had been easy enough to escape, since all the villagers were gathered in the church. That was the only thing that demon had done to benefit her since she'd received his first missive nearly a month past.

She had refused his offers at a peaceful takeover outright, of course. She was no weak willed woman to turn and flee at the first sign of stormy times. At no point did she foresee herself losing her lands to a fool like him. But somehow, she had.

Huffing in disgust, Kikyo thrust aside a dangling branch with unnecessary force. Never had she come across someone who went against her will. Then along comes some demon lord, thinking he can just take her lands while she sat on the sidelines. No, not even a demon lord, she had found out, but merely the second son of a demon lord.

Striding forward, she glowered at the underbrush. He would soon see the error of his ways. When she returned, she was going to bring all the fury of Hell along with her. She would make him regret every second he spent ruling in her place. Every breath he drew, every decision he made would be repaid with his blood.

Her hand dropped to the bag dangling at her side. In it was a fortune in jewels and gold, all the wealth she could carry. Surely it was enough to pay for an army to do her bidding. A massive army who would obey and attack, no questions asked.

Yes, it wouldn't be long until she reclaimed her place. Not long at all.