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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Chapter Thirty-Two

The Art of Losing

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Kikyo stood in a corner of the church, her back straight and a cold expression on her face. From the nook where she was waiting, she could see the spectators but they couldn't see her. Her eyes swept over the small group of peasants huddled in the back up to the dignified couple seated in the very front row. A sneer curved her lips as she stared at the woman who had actually chosen to give birth to the child of a demon. It was an unthinkable act that roused a wave of disgust within her.

She shifted slightly, earning a warning look from the guard who stood at her side. His hand inched toward the sword strapped at his waist when she glared at him in response. Kikyo turned away from him, unwilling to waste anymore time or focus on a being that was little more than an animal in her eyes.

Her drifting gaze soon found the open doorway. Through it, at the farthest edge of her line of vision, stood the castle where she'd lived her entire life. A spurt of satisfaction formed inside her as she thought of how it would soon be hers again. Once Naraku had taken care of the usurper of her position, she would quickly resume her old life. It was just a matter of getting through the next few moments before all she desired became hers once more.

Kikyo found her thoughts interrupted by the sight of the dark-haired priest approaching the building at a good pace. She tensed as she realized that his arrival signaled that the wedding she had been dreading was soon to begin. She held her breath as he drew closer . . .only to let it out in a heavy sigh when he vanished around the building instead of coming inside as she had expected. Her eyes went to the door at the front of the church, but he didn't appear there immediately, either.

She frowned to herself. Something was definitely going on. The priest's steps had been too fast, his demeanor almost harried as he'd passed by her. It wasn't normal behavior for a wedding, even one that was running behind. Her posture straightened as a possible explanation occurred to her. It was quite likely that Naraku had begun his part of the plan.

Her frown turned into a smile and it was all she could do to keep from clapping her joy. Soon, so very soon, all the interlopers before her would get what was coming to them. They would be dealt with and tossed out of her life like the garbage that they were.

The priest finally reappeared at the front of the church, but this time, Kikyo felt nothing but anticipation. While Naraku had never told her exactly how he planned to accomplish that task, only that he would, she had no doubts. She decided that she would enjoy watching everything unfold before her. It would be like a play, only the spoils gained in the end would truly come to her.

The only sign of her thoughts was a quirk of her eyebrow that could have easily been mistaken as impatience to anyone who noticed it. As it was, she thought it unlikely that anyone had seen it at all. All their attention was focused on the priest as he hurried down the aide and approached the groom's father. Leaning over, he began a whispered speech while wearing a very serious expression on his face.

While their conversation was too quiet to be heard by anyone but those closest to them, their actions gave clue to the importance behind their topic. The priest gripped the back of the bench before him with one hand while using the other to gesture. He first motioned to somewhere outside, then to the back of the church, and finally outside once more. Whatever he said had the demon lord leaping to his feet while his wife covered a gasp with her clenched fist. He seemed ready to storm from the room but was stopped by more urgent whispers from the priest.

Kikyo turned her eyes away from the scene, afraid that her satisfaction would show on her face. It seemed more possible than ever that Naraku had gone into action, causing the absence of Inuyasha and the distress of those close to him. The priest had obviously come to rally support for the hanyou, not knowing that by the time it arrived, it would already be too late.

Her pleasant thoughts stuttered to a halt as she caught sight of a figure making its way away from the church. Though there was quite a bit of distance between them, Kikyo thought she recognized the dark clothing and high ponytail as belonging to the demon slayer she had once met with in a tavern. She shook her head, knowing it couldn't be possible. Though the girl had failed to kill Inuyasha in her rage, she should have no reason to be running towards the forest. If she were still in the village, and it was unlikely, she wouldn't be free to go where she pleased. She would have been held as a prisoner for attempting to murder Inuyasha.

Squinting slightly for a better look, Kikyo froze when her eyes landed on the large weapon the figure carried. It was an unmistakable sight; a large boomerang taller than the girl who wielded it. There was only one woman who used that particular weapon and wore dark armor.

But why was she still hanging around? Why was she allowed to roam free without a guard in sight? Where was she off to in such a hurry? What had she told those who should have been her captors?

Kikyo swallowed as a cold feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach. The situation that had seemed so very close to perfect moments before had taken a turn for the worse. So many questions were running through her head that she felt surrounded by them, boxed in and caged by them. They were so numerous and real to her that it took several seconds for the movement inside the church to sink into her consciousness.

The priest had finally finished talking and stood, looking drained, off to one side. The demon lord was now the center of attention, calling to the guards posted around the room. They rushed to his side, listening intently as he barked out orders that they then hurried to obey. With a final comment to his wife, Inuyasha's father left the room with the priest as his guide. Their long strides took them from sight in a matter of seconds.

Kikyo leaned back against the wall behind her, feeling the first inklings of panic set in. The confidence she'd felt in Naraku just moments before was quickly draining away, replaced by a stifling sense of fear. He had assured her he was strong enough to take down one measly hanyou and his guards, but was he strong enough to handle an angered full-blooded demon and a demon slayer who even he had acknowledged was the best of her kind?

As it usually was, her fear was quickly replaced by anger. There was no way she was going to risk losing all that she had fought for because there was a little more opposition than they had expected. If Naraku couldn't take care of Inuyasha, she would simply have to make sure it got done by doing it herself. Shooting a furtive look to both her left and her right, she saw that no one was paying much attention to her. They were all huddled together, discussing the unusual events that had just transpired before their eyes. The guard who had been her constant companion was gone, off with all the other guards obeying orders.

She inched towards the door, pausing often to make sure that she wasn't being watched. It took several minutes of slow movements, but she finally slipped outside into the morning sunlight. Bowing her head, she walked quickly towards the castle with one destination in mind.

The weapons room.

X

Inuyasha had broken into an all out run the moment h reached a spot clear enough to allow it. As he ran with the wind whipping past his ears, all thoughts of Kikyo, his parents, and the wedding that wasn't to be fled his mind. He had a single focus, and that was finding Kagome and making sure that she was all right.

As he raced through the trees, he reflected a bit bitterly on the similarities between this journey and another he had taken not so very long ago. It was the same as when she'd found Kohaku, rushing to her aid, wondering what kind of trouble she'd gotten into. The only difference was that this time, there wouldn't be a wounded boy as the only one in trouble. Since he was closer to her location, he was able to pick up her scent more clearly. There was fear in it, a lot of fear and pain.

The smell of blood was stronger as well, strong enough for him to learn that it wasn't Kagome's blood as he had first feared. It smelled of a demon, and there was a lot of it. His face twisted into a snarl of rage as he thought of Kagome at the hands of even a badly injured demon. When he got his hands on the one responsible, he was going to put his claws through him.

A choked scream reached his ears and sent a shiver up his spine. Even as muffled as the sound had been, he had immediately recognized Kagome's voice. She was close and she was hurting. Pouring on as much speed as he could manage, Inuyasha barreled forward towards the source of the scents and sound.

After what seemed like hours but was truly only seconds, Inuyasha skidded to a stop on a scene that could have been born of his worst nightmares. A white-garbed figure stood before him, appearing to sprout tentacles from beneath his cloak. One of those tentacles was wrapped tightly around Kagome's neck, holding her suspended ten feet from the ground. Her legs kicked as she clawed at the grasping extension, struggling to loosen its deathly tight grip. By the way her face was reddening and her movements were slowing, Inuyasha guessed she wasn't having any luck.

Her eyes opened, sending a river of tears coursing down her cheeks as they circled her surroundings in a blind panic. Her gaze swept over him once before coming back and focusing on him fully. He saw her eyes widen as she stared at him, then watched as she dropped one hand from her neck to reach towards him, her every gesture pleading for help.

That was all it took to get Inuyasha to spring into action. He leapt into the air, drawing his sword and swinging it in the same smooth motion. It sliced easily through the tentacle, leaving him a little off balance due to the amount of force he had used. He barely managed to gather himself in time to grab Kagome as she began plummeting towards the ground. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he landed a few feet away from where he had taken off and dropped into a protective crouch almost immediately.

With one eye on the silent figure behind him, Inuyasha looked down at Kagome's face. Her eyes were closed and she lay completely still, leaving him unsure if it was a reaction to the expected fall or if she was unconscious. Seeing that the severed piece of tentacle was still wrapped around her neck, her quickly cut it off with his claws, being very careful not to hit the skin beneath.

As soon as it was gone, Kagome drew in a deep, shuddering breath that turned into a wracking cough as the air agitated her airway. She raised a hand to her chest as she struggled to catch her breath, one burdened pant at a time. Her eyes remained closed, giving him a chance to look her over without her knowing it.

Dark circles rimmed her eyes, attesting to too little sleep recently. Scratches lined both her cheeks and a bruise was forming on one side of her forehead. She looked tired, disheveled, and beautiful to him. Unable to resist the temptation, he smoothed the tousled hair from her face, studying her features like he hadn't seen her in years rather than just days.

Her eyelashes fluttered then, causing him to jerk his hand away guiltily. He fought to assume an air of detachment as she stared up him, volumes of emotion in her eyes. He tried to ignore them, tried not to see the guilt, pain, and happiness blending together there.

"Inuyasha," she said, although her voice was more breath than sound. One of her hands lifted as though to touch him and he braced himself for the sensation, but it never came. A loud crash caught both of their attentions, drawing their concentration away from each other and onto a figure that leapt into view. It was a wolf demon, bleeding heavily from many wounds and staggering from exhaustion. He stumbled to a stop just feet from the strange man wrapped in the fur pelt, staring at him in what could only be called a taunting manner.

Inuyasha saw at once that the wolf demon was too tired to fight anymore. He knew it too and had obviously decided to make one last stand, facing his enemy head on. Inuyasha admired his choice at the same time as he acknowledged that it was the same one he himself would have made.

Kagome's sudden grip on his arm had him turning back to her. Her face had gone white as she watched the same tableau he'd been watching. Once more, her pleading eyes were turned on him, although the words accompanying them were not what he expected or wanted to hear.

"Please, Inuyasha, save Kouga."

His heart seemed to stutter in his chest. Kagome didn't notice his pained expression, though. As if forming the simple statement had taken all the energy she had, she'd slipped into unconsciousness right after it was spoken. He was left with a million questions, not the least of which was why she would beg him for the life of a wolf demon. How did she know his name? When did they meet? Exactly how well did they know each other?

A flash of movement behind him chased the thoughts from his mind. The still unknown enemy had struck again, slashing out with a speed he could barely follow. Reaching down, Inuyasha grasped his sword and stood. He would take care of this matter first and worry about getting answers later.

X

The first thing that Kagome felt as she regained consciousness was a pounding throb throughout her entire body. There wasn't a single part of her that didn't hurt. She groaned as she struggled to move, bringing another wave of pain through her body. It took much longer than usual but she finally managed to pull herself into a sitting position and open her eyes.

The sight in front of her was more than she could immediately absorb. She seemed to have woken in the middle of a battlefield. The dark form of Naraku was the centerpiece of a whirlwind of action. A red blur that she knew to be Inuyasha shot through the air, a massive sword clutched in his hand. Another figure stood on the outskirts of the fight but was just as involved in it. In the same manner that she had used when fighting Inuyasha, Sango wielded Hiraikotsu with speed and skill. Kouga seemed to be in a position closer to hers, leaning heavily against tree trunks between his sporadic attempts at attacking. Whatever force he lacked due to his injuries, he made up for with agility as he dodged and distracted Naraku at critical moments.

The most stunning sight, though, was the large white dog that seemed to be doing the most damage. With its massive jaws, it was tearing into everything that Naraku threw at it. Slashing with its claws, it was tearing Naraku limb from limb.

As she watched in a mixture of awe and disbelief, the battle was ended. What was left of Naraku was scattered throughout the forest, seeming to dissolve into piles of blackish ooze. The warriors lowered their weapons, taking a much needed and earned break. Kagome was startled as the large dog turned into a man before her very eyes until she remembered Inuyasha telling her about full-blooded demons having more than one form. At first glance, she thought it was Sesshomaru, but a closer look proved her wrong. She could only guess that it was Inuyasha's father, whom she'd yet to lay eyes on.

Inuyasha. Now that the immediate threat seemed to be over, her mind was shifting to the next confrontation. How could she stand to look him in the eye after all that she had done? Would he even want to talk with her? Sure, he had rescued her, but she knew he would have done the same for anyone in same position. It was nothing personal, merely the ingrained sense of honor he firmly denied having. Now that she was safe, she would see how he really felt about her.

A knot tightened in her stomach and she had to look away from the sight of him speaking with his father. She didn't know how she was going to make it through the next few moments, but somehow she'd find a way. Then she'd make her escape once more, and this time, there would be no coming back.

The movement she caught out of the corner of her eye was slight, but enough to catch her attention. Turning her head, she saw something that made her entire body go stiff with fear.

Kikyo stood just yards away, a drawn bow in her hands. Her face was a mask of determination as she took careful aim . . .at Inuyasha.

Kagome tried to scream, but found that the words stuck in her throat. She then did the only other thing that she could do. Digging her fingers into the soil at her sides for leverage, she hauled her aching body up. As soon as she was upright enough to move, she began running forward. Even if she didn't reach Inuyasha in time, she hoped that her movements would be enough to attract someone's attention to Kikyo and the danger she was posing.

Time seemed to slow as her legs stretched as far as they would go. Her field of vision narrowed until all she saw was Inuyasha, all she knew was that she had to reach his side. Her fingers stretched out in front of her, reaching to grasp him . . .

Fwwuutt!She heard the arrow sing as it left the bow, shooting through the air at great speed. Kagome knew it was coming closer, but there was nothing she could do. Just as she knew it was about to impact, she threw herself at Inuyasha, knocking them both backward several steps.

Then there was nothing but a soft cry reaching her ears, a warm weight settling against her body, and the feel of hot blood flowing over her side.