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.

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Chapter Nineteen

Come Clean

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"You can count on me to oversee every aspect of her care, I assure you. There is no job too challenging or delicate for me to handle. Meals, changing bandages, even baths if the situation calls for it: I am more than willing to take care of it all. Not even the smallest detail will escape my notice . . ."

Inuyasha easily tuned out Miroku's voice as he trailed alongside of him. They were in the middle of finding a suitable place to keep the castle's newest arrival. The priest had yet to stop talking about his soon-to-be ward, and it was almost enough to make the hanyou lord regret his decision to put him in charge of the prisoner.

Almost.

Inuyasha had a feeling that the results of putting the two together would be well worth the annoyance of setting it up. In fact, it might even be worth the aggravation of the earlier battle. With what he had learned about the priest's habits around all women, it would only be a matter of time before he took things too far with the woman from the woods. And when he did, Inuyasha planned to have a front row seat.

"Here it is." Miroku accompanied his statement with a wide sweep of his arm, indicating the room in question. Quickly refocusing on his surroundings, Inuyasha looked it over carefully. He started making a mental note of all the aspects, both good and bad, that it had to offer.

On the positive side, the room was located just off the main room of the church, only a quick walk from where he had spoken his vows all those weeks ago. It was also the right size, being big enough for comfortable living but not so big as to allow for excessive movements, like those an escape would require. The door had a metal, lattice-like inset that allowed almost the entire interior to be viewed from outside. While it was sure to be useful in keeping track of the woman, Inuyasha had a feeling it wouldn't take long for Miroku to put it to another purpose entirely.

One of the only negative notes about it was the absence of a lock, a lack which Inuyasha planned to have rectified as soon as possible. With the addition of a stout bar across the outside, it was as close to perfect as he was likely to find. Turning to Miroku, he nodded in satisfaction.

"This room will be fine. It'll be awhile before she shows up, so I'd take the time to finish up any other tasks you have planned for the rest of the day. Once she's here, you'll need to be as observant as you can until everything settles in." Inuyasha started towards the door but paused before reaching it. "I'll send one of the maids over with all the stuff she'll need. Keep your hands to yourself while she's working, would you? I've already gotten enough complaints about you to deal with as it is."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the innocent look Miroku immediately affected. It was a good act, he had to admit. If he hadn't caught the man red-handed, excuse the expression, on more than one occasion, he might have even believed it. As it was, he simply felt grateful that the random grope was as far the man usually got.

With a look that showed he meant business about the maid, Inuyasha pushed through the door and headed back towards the castle. Although he had managed to distract himself while setting up Miroku- er, the girl's quarters, his mind now returned to his most pressing concern: Kikyo.

Since the moment she had thrown herself into his arms, his brain insisted on bringing her image to the front of his thoughts. He found himself going over her actions and his response to them, wondering what they meant. In the end he was left with a lot of questions and a few half formed theories.

One thing he did know for sure was that their relationship had changed. At first she was nothing more than a way to gain hold of the lands without bloodshed. As the days passed and he spent time with her, however, he had come to see her as a person. Through her kindness, intellect, and wit, he had gotten to the point where he almost . . .admired her. She was strong in a way that was entirely different from his own strengths. Where he used force and intimidation, she employed logic and a gentle encouragement.

He had to admit that it was a good thing. What one of them lacked, the other made up for, creating an even balance. A small voice at the back of his mind whispered that that was what a marriage was meant to be, much the same as the union between his mother and father. The thought was more intense than he was willing to deal with at that moment, so he pushed it aside.

As Inuyasha reached the castle, he automatically sought out Kikyo's scent. Although there were hundreds of people who passed through the area on a daily basis, he managed to pick hers out almost immediately. For reasons he didn't care to think too much about, it seemed to have a calming effect on him. Shrugging off the odd feeling, he trailed along the hallway, picking up speed as the scent grew stronger. He soon learned that the kitsune had tracked her down, and that she had left him and the strange girl afterwards.

As soon as he realized the direction of her steps, he knew where she was headed. Although the room where the boy lay wasn't really on route to his destination, Inuyasha decided to make a detour in order to inform Kikyo of his plans. She shouldn't be able to find anything wrong with a room in the church and the priest for a guard. By the time she learned of Miroku's . . .earthier habit, the situation with the girl would hopefully be well on its way to resolved.

He felt himself smirking as he imagined what was sure to come. It would certainly serve the perverted priest right to meet his match. If his hand wandered with her, the only thing he'd get a hold of was a whole lot of trouble. Inuyasha could hardly wait; it was sure to be the best entertainment the area had to offer.

Glancing around, he noted that the sickroom was just down the hall. He had been right; Kikyo's scent led directly to it. It was only when he was just steps from the door that he noticed the subtle change in her trail. The pleasant scent was now marred by a strain of something darker and disturbing.

Fear.

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Her steps quick with the force of her determination to end the lies Kikyo had started, Kagome reached the injured boy's room in no time at all. She hoped to find Kaede there or, barring that, someone else who knew where Kaede was. Finding the door slightly ajar, she pushed her way inside, her eyes instantly scanning the room for the older woman. Neither Kaede or a maid were there, but something else was. Curled up against the unconscious boy was a small bundle of golden and black fur. From the little she could see, she guessed it to be slightly larger than the average cat but smaller than a dog.

As she watched, the creature seemed to notice that she was there. It's head lifted and its eyes- blood red, she noted ironically -locked on her face with an unblinking intensity. Kagome made a small sound of dismay and backed away as it rose on four legs and turned to face her. With a growing sense of horror, she watched it's mouth open wide to reveal rows of needle sharp teeth as it . . .yawned?

Kagome's shoulders slumped with a combination of relief and confusion as she watched the small animal calmly settle into a sitting position. It's head tilted to the side as it gazed back at her with an air of inquisition. Unconsciously copying the position, Kagome stared back. Now that she no longer feared an immediate threat to her person, she found the small animal to be quite adorable.

She had just leaned forward slightly to verify that it had two tails when suddenly the door behind her was thrown open. Since she was standing right in front of it, Kagome caught a glancing blow across her shoulder, knocking her onto the floor on her hands and knees. Tossing her head to get her hair out of her face, she found herself looking up at Inuyasha. Framed in the doorway with his sword drawn in his good hand, he looked the part of an avenging warrior bent on destruction.

His golden eyes scoured the room, lingering for just a moment on the unknown being beside the boy before locking onto her. Taking in her position on the floor along with her proximity to the now open door, he seemed to realize quickly what had happened. A sheepish expression crossed Inuyasha's face as he made a move to help her up. Realizing that he still had his sword in his good hand, he started to sheath it, but paused as his gaze returned to the creature on the bed. Unwilling to be left defenseless, he settled for moving close to her side and asking her if she was all right.

Kagome nodded, touched and annoyed at the same time. He was sweet to make sure she was okay, but it would have been nicer if he'd helped her up. He was the one who'd knocked her down, after all, barging into the room like a madman. Reminded of that, Kagome turned a questioning look on Inuyasha, completely ignoring the animal that held his attention.

"What are doing here?"

Looking startled at her question, it took a moment for him to answer. "I was looking for you."

"What for?"

"To tell you that that girl's room is ready for . . . Why are we talking about this when there's a demon on the bed?"

It was Kagome's turn to look startled. "Demon? That's a demon?"

"That's what I just said, isn't it?"

"I didn't know demons could look like that. I thought they looked like you or your brother." She turned to scrutinize the small demon, who, during their conversation, had taken it upon itself to have a bath. Inuyasha's explanation certainly explained it's odd appearance, but did nothing to clarify why it had decided to pop into the boy's room. "I never would have guessed that demons could be so cute."

"Are you stupid or something?" Inuyasha stared at her, a lightly contemptuous expression of disbelief on his face. Kagome took immediate offense to his tone.

"For your information, you happen to have been the first demon that I ever met. You seem to have forgotten that no demons have been in this area for a long time up until you and your army came. Everything that I know about them comes from legends and bedtime stories that focused more on all the ways they could kill you rather than all the different types." She put her hands on her hips while leveling her best glare at him. "Forgive me for not being some sort of expert on your kind."

Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched but before he could manage a response, there was a noise from the hallway. He moved to the side as a maid maneuvered her way into the room. The small bowl of fragrant soup she held explained her presence and previous absence at the same time. She offered a smile to them before she got her first look at the newest occupant on the bed. Her reaction was not nearly as calm as Kagome's had been.

"Kyaaa!"

The bowl went flying as the woman flung up her hands. Most of its contents found their way all over the front of Inuyasha's clothing. His expression shifted from anger to dumbstruck as his head slowly tilted down to eye the broth dripping onto the floor. Kagome couldn't hold back a round of giggles as she watched him. Completely at a loss as he was, he looked more like a startled little boy than the imposing lord from moments before. Her laughter intensified.

During the distraction, the small demon had hopped off the bed. It had sniffed at the air a few times before disappearing through the door. Kagome watched it go, wondering if she should follow. Inuyasha apparently had the same idea. His sword was sheathed and he vanished through the doorway in an instant, leaving the two women alone with the boy.

Quickly assuring the maid that everything was fine and there was nothing to be afraid of, Kagome hurried after Inuyasha. He was stalking down the hall and easy to find since he was grumbling quite loudly. Reaching his side, she matched her stride to his.

Inuyasha's mumbling stopped abruptly, lapsing the hallway into silence. Kagome shot a glance at him from the corner of her eyes, wondering what he was thinking. The irritated expression on his face pointed to it being something unpleasant so she was hesitant to ask. Resigned to the quiet, she kept her eyes on the demon in front of her and off the one beside her.

It seemed to know exactly where it was going, not faltering once as it retraced the path Inuyasha had just taken himself. Kagome watched, surprised, as it pushed it's way into the Lady's parlor. Thinking about, it made sense to her. If the boy and girl really were related, than the demon would know both of them. It had seemed very comfortable with the boy; perhaps it was a pet? If so, it was only reasonable it would want to check on it's other master.

A moment passed while she and Inuyasha waited in the hall. There were no screams from inside the room, so Kagome assumed that Shippo was taking the new arrival well. Confident that she and Inuyasha could intervene in moments should the need arise, Kagome decided to take the opportunity to make a request.

"Um, Inuyasha?" There was a huff from beside her that she translated as hanyou for "What?" "If the girl wakes up when we're in there, could you let me do all the talking? I know that she was fighting you and all, but I think this could all be cleared up pretty easily if everyone stays calm.

"I can be calm!"

"Like you are right now?" she asked him sarcastically. Immediately regretting it, she took a moment to regroup. "All I'm asking is that you give me some time to talk with her before you start yelling, or threatening to toss her in the dungeon."

He crossed his arms over his chest, looking away from her. She thought he was going to argue further and so his next statement caught her by surprise.

"You just finished laughing at me and now you're begging favors?"

'Ah, so that's the reason for the pouting.' "I wasn't laughing at you . . .exactly. It was more like stress relief. It's been kind of a rough morning, you know. Finding the hurt boy, realizing you were in danger, running off to warn you; it's a lot for one person to handle."

"Why did you?'

"Why did I what?"

"Come to warn me."

Kagome stopped in her tracks, turning so that she could see his face. He was dead serious and a little nervous about her answer, if his uneasy posture was any clue. She should have been careful about her reply, watching her words in light of what she was planning to tell him as soon as she had the chance. But his nervousness, that hint that he reply really mattered to him, was her undoing. In the face of such an important sign of his regard for her, she could be nothing but completely honest.

"I didn't want to see you get hurt, Inuyasha. I . . .wanted to make sure that you'd be okay. I needed to know that you were safe . . ."

The moment the words were out, Kagome dropped her eyes to floor. She wanted to know what his response would be but she was terrified of it at the same time. It would be painful for her to learn that she had overestimated his feelings regarding her, and even more painful if she hadn't. If he cared about her even one tenth as much as she cared about him, then it would be very hard for him to learn about her deception. It was killing her, and she was the one doing the lying!

Kagome swallowed hard, thinking about what she had just thought. She did care about him. A lot. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do, but it was the best thing for him at the same time. For that reason, she was willing to risk everything: his wrath, her safety, and even the safety of her family. It was the least she could do since . . .

She was in love with him.

A gasp wrenched from her throat as that thought crystallized in her mind. Her head shot up in shock. Inuyasha had moved closer while she was distracted; for a single instant she found herself looking right into his eyes, mere inches from her own. Then he leaned even closer still . . .and kissed her.

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