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 Kaede, Kagome, or the real Kikyo's POV..
Chapter Eighteen
Good Morning Sunshine
.
Rin stood outside the single window of her small cottage. Rain was falling down all around her, soaking into her clothing and plastering her hair to her head, but she didn't mind. She had always enjoyed the many faces of nature and found a simple kind of pleasure in being surrounded by them. There were countless times in her memory when she had spent the entire day dancing beneath the raindrops or walking through meadows coated in a layer of newly fallen snow. The occasional cold she caught was a minor discomfort compared to the peace her actions brought to her.
For the first time in her life, she had been confronted by something equally as wild as nature. Only being around this entity was bringing her anything but peace.
Her eyes locked onto the pale, still figure currently occupying her bed. He hadn't moved since she had managed to maneuver him there, which was no more than she had expected. While the treatment she had given his neck had removed most of the darts' poison, some had still made its way into his bloodstream. Though not nearly potent enough to be lethal, she guessed he would be out for quite some time.
It was probably a good thing that he had remained unconscious so far, she thought to herself with a small smile. Even out cold, he appeared to have a wealth of dignity. She doubted he would have handled being drug through the dirt back to her home wrapped in her shawl very well.
Rin found herself wondering once more what he had done that led to his being attacked. The fact that whoever had assaulted him had left him there pointed to it having been a deliberate action and not some unfortunate accident. She felt a spurt of sympathy for him, but forced herself to tamp it down. For all she knew, he could be some kind of criminal, on the run after doing an evil deed.
Then again, as she knew from firsthand experience, some people could incite cruel responses from others simply by being different. And her uninvited guest certainly was that. Aside from the obvious high quality of his clothing, there were also the markings on his face and arms. Along with his pointed ears, he wasn't like anyone or anything that she had ever seen before.
With a sigh, Rin came to a decision. Until he woke up, there was no way for her to find out whether his harsh treatment was deserved or not. And in the end, it didn't really matter. She would keep him warm, fed, and dry, and when he was well enough, she would send him on his way. Their encounter would be as short as she could make it, and then she would be free to return to her solitary way of life. Ignoring the small pang that came as a result of that choice, she made her way through the door. The soup she had left on the fire needed tending to unless she wanted it to turn into a charred mess.
The quick glance she tossed toward the bed showed her guest in the same position as when she had left. Unsurprised, Rin crossed to the small fireplace and stirred the contents of the pot that hung there. The stew was well on its way to being finished and its savory smell caused her stomach to rumble. Glancing to the table that rested nearby, she caught sight of the bowl of berries she had just picked that morning. Giving into temptation, she popped a few of the ripe fruits into her mouth. She sighed lightly at the sweet taste before turning to her next task.
In one corner of the small room sat a woven basket. It was filled only a little more than halfway with various plants and flowers, since she hadn't finished her gathering before stumbling onto the stranger in the meadow. As it was, it contained enough to keep her busy for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Rin moved to the small table, bringing the basket with her. Settling it at her feet, she reached in and pulled out a handful of plants. Humming to herself, she began sorting them into piles according to the use she planned to put them to. A few were for cooking, but the majority of the others would be boiled or mashed for use in healing mixtures and creams.
As she sorted, her mind drifted back to when she was first learning the skill of medicines. If she concentrated hard enough, she could almost hear her mother's voice as she carefully explained the uses of each plant.
"Now Rin, this plant is best for curing sore throats. It only grows for a short time, so it's best to get as much as you can at once."
Some of her best memories had been formed there at her mother's side as she found equal joy in both the company and the lessons she was learning. It had solidified her love of plants and elevated her mother to an almost superhuman standing in her mind. It had seemed like there was nothing that she didn't know, no illness she couldn't cure.
In the end, she had paid an awful price for that knowledge.
Rin quickly shook off the darker memories that threatened to rise. She had promised herself and her mother a long time ago that she would concentrate on the good times and try to forget the bad times. It was the only way she managed to make it through each day.
She refocused her attention on the plants in front of her and, with her renewed dedication to the chore, finished sorting them in no time at all. With a length of string she retrieved from her pocket, she fashioned and wrapped several different bundles of herbs. They would soon join others like them, hanging from a rafter to dry. The rest of the flowers got pushed to the far edge of the table as she grabbed another handful and repeated the process.
The sun was reaching its cresting point by the time she finished. After she allowed herself a good long stretch to relieve muscles that had been still for too long, Rin turned to the only other undertaking left to her: the stranger in her bed. With all the time that had passed since she had brought him home with her, the ill effects of the poison should have just about worn off. It was getting to the point where she should try to wake him and assess his condition.
Moving to the bed, she grabbed the jar of cream she had left nearby earlier. Depending on how the wounds in his neck were coming, she might need to apply another coat of the salve. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, tucking the ends of her skirt neatly under her legs.
Rin leaned over the sleeping visitor, meaning to have a closer look at his neck. Somewhere along the way, however, her line of vision went off track. She studied his face, almost awed by the perfection of his features. He was so different from anyone she had ever seen before; more flawless than a living thing had right to be. His skin was so pale and still that she could almost convince herself he had been chiseled from stone by some loving sculptor with the intent of creating a god.
She found her eyes tracing the pattern of stripes on his face, and before she could stop herself, her finger rose to follow that same path. His skin was smooth beneath her touch, and softer than she thought flesh could be. Without conscious thought, she moved her hand until her palm was cupping his cheek . . .just as he opened his eyes.
x
When he had first begun his journey to be a warrior, as all truly great leaders must be, Sesshomaru had decided to become the best. No task was too difficult, no exercise too rigorous for him to undertake in pursuit of that goal. He held himself to a higher standard than others, even those selected by his father to teach him. They sought to impart their knowledge and experience to him; he, in turn, sought to surpass them and become stronger.
The result of his diligence with his training was a set of finely honed senses and an instinct so acute that it bordered on intuition. Many times in his life, Sesshomaru had had cause to be grateful for them. They had saved him from injury and even death on several occasions. Sometimes they even came in useful in situations with much smaller odds.
He had awoken to just such an occurrence. In the seconds directly after he went from unconscious to aware, Sesshomaru's senses quickly began to catalogue information about his environment. While his eyes remained closed to veil his newly alert state, his nose, ears, and even skin were gathering facts for his benefit.
His ears caught the sound of a bubbling liquid overlapping the hiss and crackle of a fire. There was also the smell of smoke, light enough for him to identify its source as a small blaze. It was accompanied by the odor of cooking vegetables and several freshly cut plants. Over top of it all was an almost disturbingly familiar scent of a human . . .
Sesshomaru had to force himself to maintain his feigned slumber when he recognized it as belonging to the woman from the meadow, the one he had never managed to catch a glimpse of. The smell was much thicker here, and fresher than he had ever found it. The sound of humming reached his ears, telling him that she hadn't gone far.
It took a large amount of concentration for him to continue his survey after he realized that. He was disconcerted by the distraction that that woman caused him. Nothing like it had ever happened to him before, and he was less than happy with it. He was determined to find a way to stop it, no matter what. After that, he would strive to ensure that such a reaction never troubled him again.
But that was later. Focusing closely, he caught the sound of raindrops falling to the ground. Although the drumming noise they made came from directly overhead, he felt no trace of them on his clothing or face. Added together, the information he had told him was inside a sort of shelter. There was a small, controlled fire nearby with some sort of food cooking on it. And finally, the person who was behind all of those things was the phantom human he had been plagued by since his arrival.
Pleased that his well-trained senses hadn't let him down, Sesshomaru turned to his other source of information. While there was no real science behind his instinct, he had learned to trust it without question. What it told him, he accepted as fact. And at that moment, his instinct was telling him that he was being watched.
The slight scraping of a piece of furniture being moved quickly followed that revelation. Footsteps whispered across the floor, coming closer to where he lay. He felt the corner of the bed dip as she sat down at his side.
It took every ounce of Sesshomaru's will not to react when he felt the first touch upon his face. A shiver worked its way up his spine as the gentle touch crested the half-moon on his forehead before moving on to the stripes crossing his cheekbones. However, when he felt the sensation of a warm palm settle on his cheek, nothing could have stopped him from opening his eyes.
x
Upon their return to the castle, Kagome and Inuyasha were met with a crowd of people. As Kagome returned the borrowed and unused bow to the hunters, Inuyasha threw out a few concise explanations concerning the second unconscious body he'd lugged home that day. He also managed a quick talk with one of his men, who then immediately took off towards the demon army's camp. Kagome could only assume it had something to do with Inuyasha's plan to track down his brother for some answers.
The moment that Kagome's task was finished, Inuyasha urged her forward into the building. As the sounds of the crowd faded, she found herself filled with a nervousness that had nothing to do with her secret being exposed. Her mind insisted on reliving the brief moment she had been in his arms just a little while before. It had been a strange experience . . .disturbing and exciting at the same time. Her skin almost tingled with the memory of firm muscles beneath her hands, the smell of sweat, blood, and something indescribably Inuyasha still fresh in her nose.
Feeling a hot blush creeping into her cheeks, she forcibly turned her thoughts in another direction. The nearest distraction happened to be the unconscious girl currently slung over Inuyasha's shoulder. She hadn't so much as stirred since being knocked out and Kagome was beginning to worry. Aside from the fight with Inuyasha, there was Sesshomaru's damage to take into consideration. Having little to no knowledge on the wounds that demon attacks could inflict on a person, Kagome feared there were harmful effects already taking place.
To her surprise, Inuyasha ducked into the Lady's parlor where she had cried her eyes out on the day of Sesshomaru's arrival. He laid the girl on the same sofa where she had introduced herself to Shippo and offered her friendship to the small kitsune. Those seemed like distant memories when in fact, they had happened just over a week before. Her entire existence had been turned upside down with a thoroughness that continued to affect her. She felt like she was caught in the current of a fast moving river, watching helplessly as strange things passed by her, influencing her life in ways she was unable to resist.
At that moment, the biggest change she had been confronted with turned to face her. He must have caught the look of contemplation on her face and assumed it was about their location because he offered an explanation in a gruff voice.
"She's not staying in the castle, but she needs to be looked at. This is the closest place to have your aunt check her out while I see about finding somewhere for her to stay." He began stalking to the door only to pause a moment later. Giving her a stern look, he added, "She doesn't leave this room, hear me? I find out you've moved her, the compromise is off and she gets a one-way ticket to the dungeon." Without waiting for her reply, he was gone.
Kagome resisted the urge to huff. Although she completely agreed with what he had said, the way he chose to say it sparked her temper. She was tempted to defy him out of spite, but a deal was a deal.
"Kikyo?"
Shippo's voice was so unexpected that Kagome jumped at the sound of it. Collecting herself, she turned to him, a smile rising to her lips as she saw him peeking around the corner. She motioned for him to come inside. He took two steps forward before pausing, his eyes wide and just a little fearful. Kagome was sure he had heard who the other girl was and what she had done to Inuyasha. In order to calm him, she tilted her head at the sofa. "It's okay. She's out cold."
With an audible sigh of relief, he scampered to her side. Reaching down to pat his head, Kagome braced herself to ask something of him that she knew he wouldn't enjoy. "Shippo, I need you to be brave and do me a favor. I have to find Ka- my aunt Kaede, and bring her to look at this girl's injuries, but I can't just leave her here alone. Do you think you could handle staying with her until I get back?"
Shippo's face immediately clouded with uncertainty. She could almost see the battle going on inside him. He wanted to help, but he was afraid to be left alone with the girl. It was painful for Kagome to make him do something that obviously scared him, but she didn't have a choice. It could be a long time before Inuyasha returned or someone else appeared, and the stranger's wounds needed looked at.
'I guess we're both just going to have to do something unpleasant today,' she thought to herself. Kneeling down, she looked Shippo in the eye. "I know this is a little scary, but you don't have anything to worry about. She's completely harmless, and I'll be back really, really quickly. I bet you'll hardly notice I'm gone." She paused and then added, "Please, Shippo. This is really important."
The kitsune cub closed his eyes and nodded. Sweeping him into a hug, Kagome planted a kiss on his cheek. "I knew you were brave enough for this! You just wait here and I'll be right back, okay?" He nodded again and she rose to her feet. With only a quick look back to be sure he was still okay, she strode from the room.
As she made her way down the hall, Kagome lifted her chin and squared her shoulders with determination. Somehow, without even meaning to, she had come to an important decision. It was time for her to face another thing she didn't want to: She would fetch Kaede, see the girl settled in her new quarters, and then find Inuyasha in order to tell him everything.
"The petals from this flower work very well on headaches. You boil them in water just like tea. You know it's ready when the water turns this lovely shade of light pink."
"If you shred this one and soak it in water, you can form it into a compress. It'll create a nice, tight seal over wounds, easing the pain and helping to stop the bleeding at the same time."