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 Twenty

Every Rose Has Its Thorn

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He hadn't meant to kiss her.

He'd been angry with her for underestimating the danger of the unknown demon. Just because it happened to be "cute" didn't automatically eliminate its ability to be a threat, something he knew well. In the seconds after noticing the small intruder and before he saw Kikyo was safe and sound, albeit a bit bruised from her drop to the floor, many scenarios had flown through his mind. He had seen the creature leaping from the bed, its mouth open as its small, needle-sharp teeth sank deeply into her neck. He saw her sprawled on the ground, blood oozing from scratches and bites all over her body.

The fury he'd felt at her lack of caution had filled him so quickly that he knew he needed to put some space between them. If he had to listen to her careless excuses while those images were still fresh in his mind, Inuyasha knew he'd say something he would later regret. Even as angry as he was, he didn't want to distance himself from her by getting into a fight while his temper was still at its worst. Only his relief at finding her unharmed had tempered it enough that he was able to walk away while biting his tongue.

The encounter with the maid and her bowl of soup hadn't helped matters any. There he was, taking the mature and dignified path for perhaps the first time in his life, and Fate conspired to make him look like an idiot for it. Fighting a mixture of outrage and embarrassment, he was glad when the small demon jumped from the bed to the floor and gave him a reason to leave the room. Both his relief and his grumbling complaints were cut short when he heard the swish of skirts and the gentle patter of footsteps, letting him know that the cause of his unease had followed him from the room.

The silence of the walk both suited his mood and worked on his nerves. Kikyo seemed content enough to leave it that way. It was only after the demon cat had made its way into the parlor that she spoke. His first instinct was to ignore her until enough time had passed that the entire incident lost some of its sting, but something in him wouldn't let him. It wasn't long before he regretted not going with his initial impulse.

Her comments about his inability to remain calm had made his anger flare once more, causing him to inadvertently prove her point. In response, he had brought up the soup episode, silently chiding her for finding humor in his misery. He had expected some kind of comeback: a quip, a mocking comment, or even an apology of some sort. While none of those things passed through her lips, what did come reminded him of another question that had been weighing on the back of his mind. The thought that she had put herself at risk to come and warn him had made him feel anxious and pleased at the same time. He didn't want to see her get hurt, but the possibility that she cared for him enough to walk into danger filled him with an unknown warmth.

Deciding that a little more humiliation on an already embarrassment-filled day was nothing to worry about, Inuyasha had taken a chance and asked her why she'd done it. The long pause that followed had him suspecting she might lie, but the moment that she spoke, he knew she was telling the absolute truth. The expression on her face and the slight hesitation of her voice made it clear that she really meant what she was saying.

"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 . . ."As her eyes dropped to the floor and a blush crept its way up her neck, an alien impulse came over him. The tips of his fingers burned with the urge to trace the curve of her cheek at the same time as the memory of her in his arms slammed back into his mind. His feet moved forward almost of their own accord, putting him close enough to her to hear her swallow. The action drew his eyes to the lines of her throat, the creamy expanse marred slightly by scratches she'd gotten on her dash through the woods. He moved even closer just as her head shot up and a gasp escaped her throat. The sight of her startled eyes had struck him and before he knew it, his lips were meeting hers.

It was the same as their first kiss and yet infinitely different. That had been a kiss between strangers, intimate and distant at the same time. This was a kiss between people who had come to know each other, like each other, care about each other. That extra rapport added an entirely new dimension to it.

His hand rose to her shoulder, feeling the brush of her hair against his fingers. He stepped even closer until the skirt of her dress swished against his legs. Dragging his thumb gently down the curve of her cheek, he heard her muffled exclamation. It brought to mind their first such encounter, or rather what happened after. Bracing himself for her to move away and possibly slap him again, Inuyasha was stunned when Kikyo pressed closer instead, kissing him back with abandon. Her hands fisted in his shirtfront, holding him still as her mouth moved on his.

Inuyasha pulled away from her slowly, not wanting the moment to end. He'd been surprised when she hadn't broken the kiss; he was even more surprised at her reaction once it was over. Reaching up, Kikyo laid her hand along the side of his cheek as a small, sad smile tipped her lips. She didn't say anything, just looked up at him as though memorizing his face. As her hand dropped back to her side, an unaccountable sensation of loss and almost panic seized him. Shrugging it off as best he could, Inuyasha opened his mouth to speak just as the door to the parlor opened.

The kitsune kit popped his head out. Ignoring Inuyasha completely, he addressed his comments to Kikyo. "She's starting to wake up."

"We'll be in in a second, Shippo." If the whelp noticed the slight huskiness of her voice, he chose not to remark on it. Nodding in response, he vanished back into the room, leaving Inuyasha and his wife alone once more. Avoiding meeting his eyes, Kikyo smoothed her hands down the sides of her skirt. She cleared her throat and then took a deep breath. Her mouth opened but it closed again before she made a sound. It was obvious that she had something to say and so Inuyasha remained silent, giving her time to gather her thoughts.

Finally she spoke, her quiet voice barely audible even with his demon hearing. "Once we finish handling the girl, we need to talk."

The words were simple, their meaning clear. But they raised numerous questions all the same. What did she want to talk about? Why wouldn't she meet his eyes? Why did she look so sad as she spoke?

And why did he feel as though something precious was slipping through his fingers?

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Sango groaned as she slowly rose from unconsciousness. As though it were a dark cloud dissipating in the face of a strong wind, the haze wrapping her mind began to leave. Still feeling the fuzzy aftereffects of a forced sleep, she struggled to sort out what had happened. There was the fight with the hanyou in the clearing, interrupted by the girl with the bow. She remembered charging at him only to have the world go black.

Her brow furrowed as she was hit by the feeling that something important was eluding her. The more she tried to figure out what it was, the more elusive it became. Her head throbbed with the effort of remembering, a slow, pounding beat that shot down her neck with every thump of her heart. She frowned, realizing that the pain seemed to be coming from the back of her skull. Her body protesting sharply, she raised a hand to her head. Her fingers sifted through her hair, eliciting a wince when they brushed against a large bump.

As though the action had released it, another memory floated to the surface of her mind. As clearly as though she were revisiting the scene, Sango saw the girl with the bow, halting the hanyou's attack. The girl's words returned to her, loud and numbing as their importance hit her once more.

"The boy from this morning . . .he's her brother!"

It had confirmed that they knew of her brother, and the bloodstains on the hanyou's clothing told a dark tale. The rage and despair she'd felt in the forest filled her once more, finally giving her the strength to open her eyes.

The first thing that she saw was a small, familiar face close to her own. "Kirara," she whispered, reaching out to stroke the fire cat's soft fur. Tears filled her eyes and dripped down her cheeks as the thought that Kirara was all she had left filled her mind.

"She's awake."

The words were spoken softly from somewhere in her right. Turning her head with some effort, Sango caught sight of a small kitsune sitting on the edge of the bed. As soon as he noticed her look, he offered a bright smile. Unable to summon the gesture in return, she sought out the person his comment had been addressed to. Her eyes landed on a girl standing at the foot of the bed. For all that she looked familiar, Sango had a hard time placing her. As she tried, a flash of red caught her attention. Focusing fully on it, she was stunned to see the very hanyou she had just been thinking of.

Ignoring the pain that shot through her entire body, Sango sat up, her hand automatically groping for Hiraikotsu. When they came up empty, she settled for the darkest glare she could manage. She was angry but not stupid. Attacking him without a weapon would be suicidal. While she was more than willing to give her life to avenge her brother's, she knew that the injuries she'd sustained would keep her from doing much damage. If she was going to sacrifice herself in battle, she at least wanted it to be one hell of a fight.

To her surprise, the hanyou merely rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest with huff. Deliberately turning his head, he studied the wall while pointedly ignoring her existence. Grinding her teeth in annoyance, Sango nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand come to rest on her arm.

"Hello."

Sango found herself facing the girl from the clearing once more. This time she had no bow, merely a sympathetic expression and a hesitant smile. "I'm sorry I don't have handkerchief to loan you," she said, gesturing vaguely toward her own face. Realizing what she was referring to, Sango quickly scrubbed her hands over her face, wiping away as much evidence of her crying as she could. Sniffing quietly, she cleared all the emotion from her face as she looked back at the girl. She wasn't sure what they planned to do with her, but she wasn't about to let them see her fear or uncertainty.

"My name is Kikyo, and this is Shippo," she motioned to the kitsune. "That's Inuyasha, but I think you already knew that. And you are . . .?"

"Sango."

"Well, hello Sango. I hope you're not feeling too badly after that fight. We'll get your injuries checked out really soon, but I think we need to have a talk first."

"What's to talk about? He killed Kohaku and I'm going to make sure he pays for it." Whether it was the cold certainty of her tone or the words themselves, Sango was pleased to see Inuyasha's reaction. His hands dropped to his sides and clenched into fists as he took a step forward. The anger on his face was clearly visible as he opened his mouth. His words never came, however, as Kikyo raised a single hand in his direction. "You agreed." was all she said.

Surprisingly, the hanyou retreated to his corner, grumbling but obeying. Kikyo addressed Sango once more. "Kohaku; that's your brother?"

"Yes," Sango hissed, still glaring at Inuyasha.

"Is he a few years younger than you, with kind of long dark hair?" She went on to describe the outfit that Kohaku had been wearing, the only one missing from their home. When she paused for confirmation, Sango nodded sharply. The anger was being replaced by sadness again, and she was afraid that if she opened her mouth to speak, the small bit of restraint holding back her tears would break. She was not going o let her brother's killer see her cry!

"He's not dead."

It took a moment for the words to sink into Sango's mind, but once they did, she latched onto them. "What did you say?"

Her face a mixture of compassion and happiness at delivering good news, Kikyo took hold of Sango's hand. "I said, he's not dead. I'll tell you more, but have to hear me out first, okay?"

Willing to do almost anything for news of Kohaku, Sango nodded emphatically. Smiling gently, Kikyo explained about her morning walk and the planned picnic. With Shippo breaking in to verify her story, she told about how she had stumbled over the boy and sent Shippo back for help. Inuyasha's arrival and their return to the castle to get him medical treatment came next, followed by Kaede's involvement. When she reached the part about the maid's disclosure, Kikyo paused.

"I know that you think that Inuyasha was the one who hurt your bother, but I can tell you that he wasn't. I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said that it's just not his way." Kikyo laughed softly, showing she wasn't going to hold that against her. "There is other proof, though. The wounds were fresh, and so they had to have happened recently. Inuyasha was with Shippo and myself early this morning, then with his brother, and then with the castle priest. There are probably any number of witnesses that could tell that he hadn't been outside of the courtyard until Shippo came asking for help. With all of that, there's no way he could have been the one to harm your brother."

Sango heard the words, but she was finding it hard to understand them. Over all of the explanations was the simple fact that her brother was alive. It was like a booming mantra, repeating itself over and over in her mind. Kohaku was alive! Kohaku was alive!

"Can I see him?" she asked eagerly, forgetting her earlier vow to show no weakness. It didn't matter anymore; all that mattered was finding her way to her brother's side to make sure that Kikyo was telling the truth. Anything else she would deal with later.

"Of course."

"No way!"

The two statements came at the same time. Kikyo, who had given the affirmative, simply looked at her husband with a raised eyebrow. She didn't bother to argue, merely looked at him silently. After a moment of spluttering, he huffed a sigh and gave in less than gracefully.

"All right, she can see him. But after that it's straight to her room!"

Smiling happily, Kikyo got to her feet. As Kirara jumped to the ground, Sango swung her feet slowly off the sofa. She stood, weaving a bit as a bout of lightheadedness struck her. Before she knew what was happening, a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist, bracing her while she regained her balance. Seeing Kikyo by the door with Shippo, Sango turned her head in shock to find Inuyasha by her side. Refusing to meet her eyes, he helped her make her way across the floor and into the hallway.

Sango absentmindedly allowed his assistance, her mind occupied with a memory from not so long ago. For a moment she was back in the noisy tavern with the woman who had tried to hire her to fight Inuyasha. Her words, so venomous and filled with hate, had made a lasting impression, allowing Sango to recall them clearly.

"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 . . . 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."

She hadn't put any credence in them until after her brother's disappearance. Once she found the trail leading back to Inuyasha, she had started to wonder if maybe the woman hadn't been right about him. Now, faced with his easy concession to his wife's request and the emotion in his eyes as he watched her when she wasn't looking, Sango was forced to reevaluate her opinion once more.

He could have killed her in their fight, but he hadn't. He could have thrown right into a cell for attacking him, and yet he hadn't. He could have denied her the chance to see her brother, but he hadn't. For all that she had tried to end his life, he was showing her a sort of mercy that she wouldn't have guessed him capable of. Maybe a lot of it was due to Kikyo, but she couldn't see the half demon yielding to her whims if he didn't agree with them at least partially. His actions were painting a new picture of him, one that was nothing like the woman in the tavern had described. Had he changed so much after his marriage to the human woman by his side?

While she admitted it was possible, Sango didn't think so. Instincts she had learned to trust explicitly were telling her she had been duped from the outset. It was only too convenient that after turning down the unknown woman's offer, the very threat she had predicted had come true. If Kikyo was telling the truth, Inuyasha was just as much a victim as she was. They'd both been played, quite successfully.

The only question left was by who?