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.

General Reminder:

All references to Kikyo mean Kagome unless that section is in Kagome or the real Kikyo's POV.

Chapter Seven

Who's That Girl

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The young woman sat at a simple wooden table in the middle of a tavern. An untouched drink sat in front of her as her eyes roved over the people in the room. She had learned early on in life that to let your guard down for even a moment could be the last mistake you would ever make. That folly had taken her father from her and she wasn't about to allow the same thing to happen to her.

She sighed a bit, taking in the angle of what little sunlight made its way through the grimy windows. Night was fast approaching, showing that she had been waiting for quite a few hours. It was well after the time she had agreed to meet her potential employer, and she would have to return to her brother soon.

Although she was only a few years older than him, she had been more mother than sister when they were growing up. This led to a lot of worrying when she had to leave him alone for long periods of time. He was also all she had left of her family, and she didn't want anything to happen to him.

Another few moments passed slowly as she debated her options. She could leave now and risk missing the person who had summoned her, or she could wait a while longer in the hopes they would finally show with a valid offer. On the one hand, she had wasted enough time doing nothing and would be well within her rights to leave. On the other hand, she and her brother needed the money, and the missive she had received promised plenty of that.

She was saved from her spinning thoughts when a cloaked figured entered the tavern and caught her attention. The person paused by the door, either to allow their eyes to adjust or to get a good look around. Then the shadowed hood turned in her direction and she knew her appointment had arrived.

It wasn't just a show of defiance due to her company's lateness that kept her from rising when the figure took the chair across from her. She had chosen the meeting place carefully, from the building to the very table at which she sat. There was nothing but a wall behind her and a straight path to the door in front of her. If she needed to, she could have been out of her seat and through the exit in less than ten seconds.

Her eyes slid over the few things revealed by the thick wool wrap. Her companion's build was average, with a height about equal to her own. Although the cloak was misleading, she got the feeling that the body it concealed wasn't that of a fighter. It seemed more . . .delicate, almost, which matched the light tread and small steps that had brought it to the table. All in all, she had the feeling that this person was not much like her usual employers.

The feminine voice that drifted softly from the hood confirmed this. "You are Sango, the demon exterminator, am I correct?"

Sango nodded, but said nothing as she waited for the mysterious woman to continue.

"I have heard that you are a most reliable resource for dealing with unwanted demons. I do hope that I have not been mislead in that?"

"My family has been foremost in that field for generations. There has yet to be case we couldn't manage." Sango could hear the pride that had crept into her words, but didn't bother to try and stop it. What she said was true, and it was a tradition she would do her best to carry on for as long as she was able.

"Good. I have a problem that I wish for you to handle."

Sango tilted her head to the side as the woman explained her situation. Darkness had fallen fully by the time she finished. When the woman's words trailed off, she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but that's not the kind of thing we handle. When you said a demon had invaded your home, I thought you meant something like a snake demon nesting in your wine cellar. A demon Lord's son overthrowing ruling families in order to expand territories is a little out of my league. I'm afraid I can't help you. Sorry."

When she moved to stand, the other girl's hand shot out and locked tightly onto her wrist. The soft, pleading voice from moments before was gone, replaced by a hissing whisper. "You'll be sorry! That thing won't be happy with just my lands. He'll come looking for more, and this little town will probably top his list. You'll wish you had taken on the job when you watch your neighbors die at his hands."

A quick jerk earned her hand's freedom, but did nothing to stop the hate filled words that came to her ears. "They're all the same, disgusting, filthy creatures with nothing on their minds but bloodlust and destruction. They won't stop until they take everything from us. You're as bad as they are, refusing to help your own kind."

"That's enough! You offered me a job; I refused it. Our business is finished. Goodbye." Sango turned from the table and walked quickly towards the door. The hatred the woman displayed was far beyond anything she had heard before. It left her with the unsettling feeling that there was little she wouldn't do to get her way.

Sango wasn't exactly sure which part of the conversation had caused the uneasy feeling in her stomach, and she didn't have the time to think about it now. She had to get home; Kohaku was waiting. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the woman's final words.

"You'll be sorry. I'll make you sorry."

x

Kagome stood still in her spot by the window as Inuyasha vanished through the door. As soon as he was out of sight she allowed her tense muscles to relax and sagged against the cold stones that made up the wall. Her gaze dropped to her hands. When she noticed they were trembling she quickly fisted them in the material of her skirt.

She knew that she shouldn't care what he thought of her. After all, she was only in this mess because of Kikyo's threat to her family. Once the other woman accomplished whatever plan it was she was working on, she would be free to return to her family and put this entire ordeal behind her.

So why had his words stung?

Pushing away from the wall, Kagome resumed her earlier action of pacing the length of the room. She always found it easier to think when she was doing something physical. That was why she enjoyed her work at the bakery. Since she was the one who handled most of the deliveries, she did a lot of walking and thinking.

Pushing those memories away before she started wishing for times she couldn't have back, she forced herself to think. It seemed that her biggest worry of the moment could be laid to rest. Inuyasha had made it pretty clear that he had no designs on her, even if she was, in his mind, at least, his wife.

Kagome forced her mind to focus on other, more immediate matters. Now that she knew she could relax her guard just a bit when it came to Inuyasha, she was reminded of another problem that she needed to discuss with Kaede. Needing the distraction. She decided to seek the older woman out.

She poked her head out into the hall for a quick look around. Finding it deserted, she stepped outside. She had no idea where Kaede might be, since she hadn't spoken to her since before the "wedding". Her best guess was that her bedroom would be near Kikyo's, but that only helped if Kaede was in her room. Disinterest or not, Kagome wasn't ready to meet Inuyasha again just yet.

Shrugging her shoulders, she turned to the door left of where she stood. Knocking on the thick wood, she waited for a response. When none came, she pushed it open and peeked inside. It was another bedchamber, but seemed to her to more a guest room than one that was used by a full time resident. She moved to the next door down and repeated the action.

It wasn't until she hit the fourth door on the other side of the hall that she experienced success. At the first tap of her knuckles on the portal, it was yanked open and a wrinkled face appeared. A hand clasped onto her wrist and she was pulled inside just as the door was slammed shut behind her.

"Thank goodness you're all right, child. I intended to look after you, but he ordered me from the room. I wanted to stay, but I didn't want to anger him just to have him force me to leave, anyway. I was called away for a while, or I would have checked on you sooner. You are okay, aren't you?" The eye that wasn't covered quickly looked her over from head to toe. Noticing that the wedding dress had been replaced with another, a look of dismay rose onto her face. "He didn't . . ."

"No!" The memory of Inuyasha's parting sentence made her reply more forceful than she had intended. Kagome deliberately softened her voice so as not to distress the older woman. "No, he didn't do anything." Except kiss me and then tell me he hated doing it, she added mentally.

Kaede sighed in apparent relief. "That's good news. Come, have a seat." She motioned to two chairs situated near the fireplace. When they had both settled in, she turned a questioning look on her guest. "So why did you seek me out?"

Kagome leaned forward. "I was just out in the hall earlier, and I got a little turned around," she began, remembering her ill-fated trip to confront Inuyasha earlier. "While I was lost, I thought about finding someone to show me the way to where I was going. That's when I realized something. Won't all the servants know right away that I'm not Kikyo? If one of them should mention it to Inuyasha or one of his men, I don't know what he might do!"

'And even if he would listen to reason, which I doubt, Kikyo wouldn't hesitate to fulfill her threat about my family,' she thought, but the fact that Kikyo was Kaede's niece kept her from bringing it up.

"Ah, well, I thought of this as well, and it's not something you need to worry about. Kikyo kept to herself most of the time, preferring not to associate with anyone who lives here. To be honest, I think she felt they were beneath her." It was the subtle censor directed at Kikyo as much as her other words that allowed Kagome to relax.

"So as long as I stay away from the village where people will recognize me as me, I should be okay. That's a relief." She leaned back in the chair, her eyes drifting closed as she sighed in relief. Her whole body seemed at ease, her muscles loosening as she sank more deeply into her seat.

"I know that you didn't want to do this, and I am sorry that you must." Kaede's softly spoken words penetrated her hazy mind, but didn't seem important enough to force her eyes open. "Know that I will do all I can to help you through this, and all that will come afterwards."

The stress of everything that had happened had caught up with Kagome, who barely felt the gentle touch on her arm. By the time a thick blanket settled over her legs, she was fast asleep.

x

Inuyasha paused at the end of the hallway leading to the castle's main bedchambers. It was well into the night, so there was no one around to see the new lord's strange behavior, or wonder why he seemed so hesitant about approaching a certain closed door. Having spent the past hours walking the boundaries of his territory, he was feeling as tired as he ever really got, but for some reason, he was unable to settle down to get some rest. Every time he closed his eyes, Kikyo's face flashed into his mind. He had been telling himself it was because he was annoyed with her, but that excuse had begun to ring false even to himself.

The truth of the matter was that she rattled him. The quicksilver changing of her moods fascinated him. He replayed them in his mind, remembering how she had gone from brave to cowering, concerned to angry, tentative to brazen, all without warning. But that wasn't the worst of it. He could almost feel her lips against his own and her hair coiled around his fingers. His skin tingled just thinking about her gentle actions when she had cleaned and bandaged his wound.

But then he remembered the literal slap in the face that had been followed by the other, more figurative one. Although she hadn't said any of them aloud, he could imagine what her thoughts had been at that moment. Of course she wouldn't want to be touched by him. He was, after all, just a demon. She was a lady, coddled and pampered all her life. To her, he was probably little more than an animal.

Except it wasn't disgust that had been on her face when she made her announcement. There had been fear, but not the kind he was used to seeing. No, she wasn't afraid for her life, but of something else. Exactly what, he hadn't a clue. Behind the fear was the most puzzling expression of all. She had seemed to almost plead with him with her eyes, to beg him to do as she requested.

Inuyasha growled deep in his throat. He was spending far too much time thinking about Kikyo, especially in light of the fact that all his pondering brought only more questions, never answers. She couldn't possibly be everything that he was making her out to be. As time passed, he would find that she was just like any other human woman, with the same annoying habits. The mysterious air she had would fade as he learned about her and her ways. In no time at all, he should be able to completely ignore her, just as he did all the other distractions to come into his life.

With that thought repeating in his mind like a mantra, Inuyasha finally took several steps forward. As soon as he was fully in the hallway, he was assaulted by Kikyo's scent. It was several hours old, but clear enough for him to identify immediately. She had apparently wandered around this area for a bit not long after he had left her in her room.

'Wonder what she was doing?' he found himself asking, then quickly forced the thought from his mind. It shouldn't matter to him how she spent her time. It didn't matter. He wouldn't let it.

He had intended to pass her room and head for the one at the very end of the hall. It was a guest chamber, but more than sufficient for his needs. Once things were running more smoothly, he could see about refurnishing it to his taste. But his steps seemed to falter and he found himself reaching for the door handle of Kikyo's room. After a quick look around to make sure he was still alone, he opened the door slowly.

Everything looked the same as it had when he'd left earlier. Everything except for Kikyo. There was no form curled up in the massive bed, like he had expected. She wasn't sitting in any of the chairs, or standing by the window. She was gone.

Without taking time to question why he cared, Inuyasha spun on his heel and exited the room. He was already starting down the stairs to search for her when something hit him. While her scent had been thick in the hall, it was practically nonexistent on the stairway. What small traces there were were even older than the ones in the hall, obviously from when she had bumped into him and then insisted on cleaning his wound. Putting two and two together, he returned to the second floor.

He found her in a room smelling strongly of the older woman who had identified herself as her aunt. She sat in a comfortable looking chair in front of a slowly dying fire, a blanket tucked carefully around her legs. Her head was titled to the side to rest against her shoulder. She looked even younger than she had when she had fainted.

Crouching down beside her, he studied her as she slept, trying to find some as to what it was about her that had him so off balance. He had seen women more beautiful, and had defiantly met others with better manners. But none of them had ever confused him like she did.

Sighing, he stood, gathering her into his arms. As he walked back to her room to put her to bed, he decided to ask his father when he came to visit, as he had promised to do in a few weeks. Perhaps the older demon would be able to give him some answers. Until then, he would just keep his distance from his wife.

It would be safer that way.