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.

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General Reminder:

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

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Chapter Fifteen

What Am I Supposed To Do

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Sango watched emotionlessly as her target crumpled to the ground. There was the slight thump of his impact against the earth before silence filled the clearing once more. Even so, she remained in a battle stance, silently counting the seconds as they passed. She hadn't survived as long as she had in her line of work by making rash assumptions about the enemy's condition. Doing that could leave her vulnerable to a surprise attack and if there had ever been an enemy she didn't want to risk underestimating, it was the one she was currently facing.

When enough time had passed that she was reasonably sure it was safe to move, Sango rose into a standing position. Squinting to see through the vision-obscuring mist she had caused, she kept a close eye on the inert form in front of her as she began closing the distance between them. The vapor had cleared enough by the time she reached his side that she was able to remove the metal mask covering the lower portion of her face. Although the smell was still strong, even to her human senses, it was nothing she couldn't handle.

She stilled as she stared down at the focus of her anger and pain. This was the individual responsible for stealing away the most important person in her life. Whether he had simply mistaken Kohaku as the demon exterminator or hadn't cared that he was an innocent didn't matter. He was still responsible, and she was going to make sure that he paid once she got the answers she wanted from him.

Turned on his side as he was, she couldn't see anything beyond the line of his shoulder and the mass of white hair that tumbled over it. She sighed, a feeling of dissatisfaction filling her. In order to remain undetected, she had had to keep enough distance between them that she had never gotten a good look at his face. Even during the brief battle, her attention had been on getting him before he got her, so there hadn't been time to register anything beyond the extreme basics of his appearance.

Sango frowned, acknowledging that she wanted to put a face to her brother's attacker. Dropping to one knee, she allowed her right hand to move to the hilt of the sword strapped to her side. Although the poison on the darts she had hit him with was strong, she wasn't taking any chances. Grasping his shoulder, she tugged him onto his back. As she did so, his hair fell away, revealing his features for the first time and causing her to gasp.

It was the wrong person!

The man lying before her bore a crescent moon and several stripes on his face, the markings of a full-blooded demon. His ears, now visible, were slightly pointed but otherwise human. They were definitely not the dog-ears the girl at the inn had described. All those things added up to prove he was not the hanyou she had been looking for. Somehow she had made a mistake and attacked an innocent person.

Jerking her hand away from his shoulder like she'd been burned, Sango sank back onto her heels. Her anger at Inuyasha moved to the back of her mind as she realized what she had almost done. Rubbing a hand over her eyes, she took a moment to thank whatever gods were listening that she had decided to question Inuyasha when she found him. If she had used a fatal amount of poison in the darts, she would have been a murderer. As it was, with enough rest, he should fully recover in a few days.

Her mind went back to the things she learned at the inn. The girl she had spoken with had mentioned a visiting full-blooded demon lord. She had heard that he was Inuyasha's older brother, but since he refused to speak to humans, she hadn't been sure. Based on the quality of his clothing and the amount of power he had managed to throw at her, Sango thought it would be safe to assume she knew the identity of her unintentional victim.

Now the only question was what she should do about it. She didn't have the time or the inclination to wait for him to recover and it would be too risky to take him back to the town. That left her with very few courses of action.

A nudge on her hand pulled Sango from her dilemma. Looking down, she saw Kirara sitting at her side. The small demon had always accompanied her on her trips, and this occasion had been no different. While she had been busy asking questions and following who she thought was her target, Kirara had been scouting the forest for clues. With the exception of their break to sleep, they hadn't seen each other since their arrival at the village. Her return now meant one of only two things.

"Did you finish looking, or did you find . . ."she trailed off, unable to voice her hope or her fear out loud. It would have made the moment too real, and quite probably too much for her to handle.

Kirara moved closer, pushing against her nose across Sango's hand once more, leaving a dark streak behind. Her brow furrowing, Sango brought her hand nearer to her face to examine the mark. It only took a moment for her to recognize the substance and for her entire body to stiffen in response to it.

Blood.

She instantly forgot about the unconscious demon lying in front of her, focusing all her attention on Kirara instead. "K-Kohaku?" she questioned, unable to keep a small quiver from her voice. The years with Kirara at her side had taught Sango to recognize the demon's movements as the answers they were, so it was simple to see the tilt of her head as a "yes". Almost before the action was completed, she was on her feet and ready to go.

"Show me," she ordered, the tremor from before replaced with an unshakable determination. Good or bad, she needed to know what Kirara had found.

The trip around the edge of the village passed in a blur for Sango. In no time at all they were approaching the northern most section of the forest, Kirara leading the way with ease. When the demon stopped beside a tree and sat, Sango knew they'd reached their destination.

The first thing she noticed was the blood. It was impossible to miss, splattered as it was over everything in the area. Droplets of it had landed on the leaves, the thin smears already dried to a brownish shade. A larger pool had collected on the forest floor, glimmering morbidly in the small amount of afternoon light that filtered through the trees.

Sango's knees buckled and she sank to the ground. One hand pressed against her mouth, the other against her stomach as she fought the wave of nausea that burned at the back of her throat. She knew that the blood belonged to Kohaku, and the sheer amount of it didn't bode well. Tears dripped down her cheeks as the realization that she might never see her brother again began to sink in. The future loomed in front of her, empty and meaningless.

She was so wrapped up in her grief that she never heard the approaching footsteps. It took Kirara's sudden appearance at her side to alert her to the intruder. Jumping to her feet, Sango made sure she was downwind and out of sight. Braced against the wide trunk of a tree, she peered through the foliage for her first glimpse of the new arrival.

At first there was only a brief flash of red and white amidst the green. Then she caught sight of a hand pulling branches out of the way just before the person stepped fully into view. The man was garbed in red from head to toe, his outfit made of a rough cloth she was unable to immediately identify. But what really caught her attention were his ears. Furry and white, the appendages sat near the top of his head, blending into his silvery hair.

Sango felt her heart slam in her chest as she stared at him. Her eyes dropped to the large stain coloring the front of his outfit, matching so perfectly the splotches on the surrounding plant life. There was no mistake this time; he was obviously the hanyou she had been searching for. He was covered in blood and returning to the spot where it had been spilled, probably trying to destroy the evidence before someone found it.

Well, she thought to herself, it was too late for that. She had found it, and she knew what it meant. It was unfortunate for Inuyasha that he had chosen this moment to return. He was almost making it too easy.

The despair she had felt upon finding her brother's blood transformed itself into full-blown anger. The only thing in her mind was the need for revenge. Every beat of her heart brought another image of Kohaku struggling against Inuyasha, fighting for his life . . .and losing.

Sango straightened from her hiding place. In one fluid motion smooth from practice, she reached for the massive weapon lying just inches away. Grasping it firmly, she moved it into position and took aim at the hanyou's head.

And Hiraikotsu flew.

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He was beautiful.

That was her first thought when she came upon him laying among the flowers. His long, silvery hair pooled around his head, interspersed with leaves and grass. His clothing, once a pristine white, was now spotted with grass stains and darker, more alarming blotches. Since his eyes were closed, she couldn't see their color, but she had a feeling it would be something other than the common blue or brown to match the other aspects of his distinctive appearance.

It was with some difficulty that Rin forced her attention away from his face. He was, after all, obviously wounded, and his welfare was more important than her curiosity. Kneeling beside him, she checked for signs of life. His breathing was shallow and a bit fast, but nothing to be alarmed about. His heartbeat was strong and steady, indicating that he was simply knocked out rather than gravely injured.

Looking at his head, she found no bumps or bruises to account for his state. Even when she went so far as to run her fingers through his hair, she could find nothing wrong with him. Frowning, she decided a closer look was in order.

As thorough as her examination was, it only took a moment for Rin to come across the darts sticking out of the pale skin of his neck. She carefully pulled one out, wincing at the drop of blood that welled as a result. Warily avoiding the sharp point, she studied it closely. The thin coating near the tip caught her interest. Bringing it to her nose, she took a cautious sniff. The familiar scent confirmed her guess of poison.

She pulled a small cloth from her pocket and spread it out on the grass at her side. Placing the dart in the center, she turned back to the unconscious man. Soon three more darts joined the first. Wrapping them carefully to avoid getting stuck herself, she slid the bundle back into her pocket and stood.

Rin stared down at the man, sighing a bit. She couldn't just leave him alone in the middle of the field. Although his condition wasn't serious as far as she could tell, it wouldn't do anyone any good to be subjected to a night on the cold ground with no blanket. It would be best if she send him back to his home, but since she didn't know where that was, she supposed her home would have to do.

That is, if she could figure out how to move him . . .