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 Seventeen

Gonna Getcha Good

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Inuyasha stared down at the dark head tucked beneath his chin. For the longest of moments he remained completely still, neither moving nor speaking. Even his thoughts stuttered while he struggled to absorb the string of events that had just occurred.

Just as the pony-tailed girl had been about to hurl her weapon at him once more, his ears had picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. Turning his head had given him a clear view of Kikyo as she stepped through the trees. She held a bow in firing position, an arrow already notched into place. Her voice was level as she called out to his opponent, but Inuyasha caught the slight tremble underlying the brave words.

Before he had made his offer of marriage to Kikyo, he had taken it upon himself to learn everything about her that he could. One of the facts that he had come across was that she was an excellent archer. She had even been praised as better than hunters who made their living by the bow. Although her wobbly stance at the moment belied it, he had no doubt that she could land a shot if the need should arise, not that he was going to give her the chance.

Whether her bad aim was the result of her obvious race from the castle, or a deliberate tactic to mislead didn't matter. What did matter was that the single moment that the woman turned to survey the potential threat gave Inuyasha the time he needed to free his sword from its sheath. Shifting into place, he raised it into striking position. His blood leapt at the thought of combat, and he was more than ready to pay her back for the blows she had managed to land.

The stranger had no sooner turned back to him than he was making his first offensive move. Two steps into it, however, he was halted by the sound of Kikyo's voice.

"Don't!"

The quick explanation of the circumstances that followed immediately squashed his hopes for a fight. He acknowledged that it wouldn't be honorable to continue under such conditions. Of course, acknowledging such a thing normally wouldn't have stopped him from getting a couple of light hits in just for fun. But somehow it was different with Kikyo standing just a few feet away.

Dropping the tip of his sword towards the ground, he had almost been caught of guard when the girl leapt forward with a scream of rage. Her attacks were completely random, showing she was using her emotions rather than her training. Dodging only to have her wheel around and come at him again, Inuyasha had quickly decided to end the game. A swift but firm tap on the back of her head sent the girl to the ground in a heap.

He had turned to Kikyo only to find her looking from him to the girl and back again. Breaking another of his long-standing habits, he had actually tried to explain his actions so that she wouldn't be upset with him. The long silence that followed his words had soon begun to grind on his nerves. Just as he was cursing himself for caring what she thought, his wife had come racing across the clearing. The next thing he knew, she was wrapping her arms around his waist as though she never wanted to let go.

In the quiet that followed, Inuyasha heard the soft, hiccupping breaths that told him she was crying. He tensed, frantically searching his memory for the cause of her tears. Nothing came immediately to mind, leaving him with no idea how to deal with the situation. Doing the only thing that he could think of, he hesitantly slid his uninjured arm around her waist. His hand patted awkwardly at her back as he sought to reassure her about . . .whatever it was that had her upset.

"Hey," he muttered quietly, "there's no need for that. Everything's okay."

At the sound of his voice, Kikyo stiffened. Planting both hands on his chest, she pushed to gain a bit of distance between them. Her gaze rose slowly to his face, a blush creeping into her cheeks when she met his eyes. Obviously embarrassed, she stepped back from him completely. Her hands fisted at her sides as she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry . . .I don't know what came over me." She wiped the tears from her face as though trying to erase the fact that they had ever existed.

Determinedly looking at everything in the clearing except for him, she soon focused on the unconscious girl. Crossing to her side, Kikyo knelt at her side without hesitation. Now that the threat to and from her was gone, Inuyasha could see the sympathy in Kikyo's movements.

As she carefully turned the girl on her side and began looking her over, Inuyasha retrieved his sword from the ground. It had slipped from his fingers when his wife had flown at him. Now he wiped off the blade and returned it to its sheath. That accomplished, he tested his shoulder to try and find out the extent of the damage. There had been a lot of force behind her swing, and it showed in the injury it had left behind. If he had been a human, it probably would have left him crippled for life. As it was, his demon blood would most likely have him healed in a day or two.

A bit disgruntled at his lost chance to avenge his dignity, Inuyasha glared sullenly at the unknown girl. It would have been nice if he'd been able to get in at least one hit before Kikyo stopped him. That reminded him of her earlier comment, and he turned to her. "How do you know that she's that boy's sister?"

Barely sparing him a glance, Kikyo quickly recited her conversation with the maid. By the time she finished, Inuyasha was forced to agree that the two being related was more than a slight possibility. A small part of him was glad that she had come to tell him; he almost certainly would have felt guilty had he done serious damage and then found out.

His thoughts were interrupted when Kikyo let out a small cry. He was at her side in an instant. "What? What is it?" She pointed with a trembling finger to a spot on the girl's side. Following it, Inuyasha found himself staring at a space about the size of his palm. The material of her clothing looked like it had been burned, searing itself into her flesh. The small amount of skin that he could see was a brilliant red, obviously having been victim to the same attack . . .a very familiar attack.

"Sesshomaru," Inuyasha breathed, recognizing the results of his brother's handiwork instantly. It looked like she had caught a glancing blow. If it had hit her full on, there would have been no way she'd have had the strength to come and attack him. There probably wouldn't have been much of her left at all.

"Your brother? What, you mean he did this?"

"It sure looks like it," Inuyasha muttered, still studying the mark.

"But how is that possible?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out." Even as he spoke, Inuyasha made a mental note to dispatch a runner to the Western Lands as soon they got back to the castle. He wanted to know how it came to be that his half brother and his would be assassin had crossed paths.

"We can always ask her when she wakes up. I mean, she's bound to be more companionable once we explain that you didn't do anything to her brother. That was her whole reason for attacking you, after all."

Inuyasha was silent for a moment as a thought struck him. Not for a single instant had Kikyo believed that he had harmed the boy. When she had come rushing into the clearing, it was to help him. She had known that he would stop once she explained, had trusted that he would do the right thing.

She had trusted him.

The same feeling he had been filled with when she rushed into his arms began to swell inside his chest once more. The warm heaviness was alien, but not altogether unpleasant. What was slightly unpleasant was the kinds of things this human woman could make him feel without even trying. Her actions affected him in ways he didn't fully understand, and all without her even knowing it.

Kikyo's voice interrupted his thoughts for the second time. "We should get her to Kaede so that she can take care of her wounds. Plus I think she should be close to her brother when either of them wakes up."

"The old woman can take care of her injuries, but she can't stay just anywhere. In case you've forgotten, she was trying to kill me. Until all of this is straightened out, she needs to be under guard. Her wounds can heal just as well in the prison as they can in a sickroom."

"Inuyasha!" Kikyo's expression was horrified. "You cannot be thinking of sticking a sick woman into a jail cell! It's just not right!"

"That sick woman almost killed me! And since I'm the lord here, I can do whatever I want!"

Kikyo planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I will not have you putting a hurt woman in a cell! And I won't let you assign a bunch of guards to trail after her like she's a criminal, either."

"She is a criminal!"

"She had a good reason to attack you."

"And that makes it okay?"

Kikyo took what was clearly meant to be a calming breath. "Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere. What we need is a compromise." She thought for a moment. "Okay, how about this: a locked room instead of the prison?"

"Prisoners, such as people who try to KILL ME, go in prisons. That's why the names are so similar. Prison. Prisoner. See?"

"Oh, come on! You're not even trying! Be reasonable about this. Please, Inuyasha." It was the note of pleading in her voice and eyes that did it. He simply couldn't say no when she was looking at him like that, her teeth gnawing at her lower lip as she waited for his reply. Huffing out a breath, he made an effort to meet her halfway. While there were some concessions he was willing to make, he wouldn't allow any that might jeopardize their safety.

"The room can't be in the castle itself, and there have to be two guards posted at all times."

"Outside the castle is fine, so long as it isn't too far, but no guards."

"One guard."

"The last thing we want is to get her defensive right off the bat. Seeing one of your men is only going to put us at a disadvantage when we go to ask her questions. How can we ask her to trust us enough to explain things rationally -and without bloodshed- if she sees that we don't trust her in return?"

"We can't leave her unguarded, and that's final. She's dangerous. If she escaped and decided to go on the warpath again, she could do a lot of damage. It's just not safe to leave her alone."

Kikyo nodded, mulling over his words. After a moment, her expression brightened. "Okay, so there can be a guard, just so long as it's not a soldier."

It sounded reasonable enough, but it left Inuyasha with one huge question. Who was he supposed to get to deal with a psychotic woman who had given him a real challenge in battle if not one of his soldiers? It would have to be someone who could either avoid rousing her anger . . .or someone who deserved having to deal with it.

An evil thought hit Inuyasha, manifesting itself in the wicked smirk that tilted his lips. Luckily for him, Kikyo had turned back to their silent companion and missed seeing it. If she had seen it, she would have been more than a little suspicious about his quick agreement.

"I think I just might have the perfect person for the job. Even you won't be able to fault him."

"Good. Since we're agreed, we should probably head back now. I bet everyone's worried." She eyed the various things that would require toting back to the castle with them. "You carry her and I'll carry her . . .boomerang . . .thing. Just be careful of her side when you pick her up, okay?"

"Her side? What about mine? She almost took my arm off, for gods' sake! How 'bout sympathy for me?" Kikyo scoffed under her breath and turned her head, the action a split second too late to keep him from seeing her roll her eyes. More than a little putout at the change in her attitude, he scowled. Stooping, he slid his good hand beneath the girl and levered her over his shoulder much the same way he would have a sack of grain.

"Inuyasha!"

"Well how else am I supposed to carry her with one arm?!"

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"You want me to what?" Miroku asked, titling his head to the side in curiosity.

"I want you to be in charge of looking after a woman for me," Inuyasha repeated slowly. As soon as he and Kikyo had returned to the castle with their second unconscious stranger of the day, he had sought out the priest. He didn't think it would take much to get the holy man's interest raised enough to agree to his scheme. A few carefully chosen words and he was sure Miroku would take the bait. In fact, there was already a decided air of curiosity about him, proven with his next question.

"What did you say this woman was like?"

Inuyasha fought to keep an innocent expression on his face. "If I had to sum her up in one word, it would be 'fiery'." Like a red-hot poker grinding into your eye . . .

"What did you say she looked like again? Not that it matters, mind you. It's just one should be prepared."

"Let me put it this way: When I first saw her, I almost lost my head." That damn boomerang of hers is a menace . . .

Miroku's eyebrow arched at that, accompanied by a contemplative look. With a firm nod, he seemed to come to a decision. "Then Inuyasha, as you were so kind as to ask, I would be delighted to assist you in any way that I can. In fact, knowing that I'm being of help to you by carrying out this task, I think I may even enjoy it."

Inuyasha barely quelled a smirk. 'Not nearly as much as I'm going to.'