What's in a Name?

By ShadowYoukai87

Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue

Well, this isn't really a continuation so much as a story with the same theme, so I'm putting them together. Enjoy!

It was a clear summer day, no clouds, but no wind either. The heat was oppressive and dust hung in the air clouding the view. It was too hot to travel, but on a lone road running through a vast forest where the heat was trapped under the shady branches, a small band of warriors trudged on, sweat adorning all of their faces and backs. The leader of the group, mostly out of ability, was bare-chested, his red and white shirts tied around his waist in an effort to cool off. Behind him, desperately trying to avert her eyes, marched the second luckiest, a girl in a short green skirt and a flowing white blouse which allowed even the slightest breeze to cool her, her raven hair tied up in an effort to release the heat trapped around her neck. Beside her, another woman, this one in a kimono that was stifling her, her face flushed red as she guzzled down a bottle of water granted to her by the first girl, splashing the water over her face and hair before handing it to the one who was likely the worst of, a man in a long dark monk's robe. His steps were sluggish with exhaustion brought on much too early by the pounding sun. On his shoulder slumped an equally exhausted child, red hair and fluffy cream tail limp and dripping with sweat as he half dozed, unable to fully sleep with the heat. A cat marched behind the group, oddly perky and at ease in the heat, more than likely because she was so companionable with the element of heat, herself being of the element of fire. This was perhaps the reason behind the nearly slumbering child's glares and envious thoughts.

Finally, the leader stopped, his nose tasting the wind with vigour and newfound energy.

"Water," he said quietly, the sound carrying in the still day to his companions, "I smell water, lots of it." He sniffed again, aware of the expectant glances behind him. "It's close, and it smells cool."

The girl in green smiled. "Which way? I could use a good soak." The woman nodded in agreement.

He sniffed again, trying to determine the direction, difficult with the lack of moving air until¼

He pointed and began to walk in that direction until he and his group came upon a small lake, only a few hundred feet from the road hidden by thick trees. Eyes went large and everyone nearly danced on the spot before setting up for a swim, the girls going down to a small lagoon some feet south, hidden from the boy's spot on the main beach by a thick row of trees. Despite the fact it was barely midday, by nightfall the group had not left the coolness of the lake until hunger drove them to set about the evening meal.

With the setting of the sun came shelter from the heat as the pale moon shone over them, a grinning reminder that the new moon was only a few days away. It was almost mocking them with its joy in shrinking when it filled the group with a dread and solemnity that rarely touched them, or perhaps all too regularly.

As the fire began to die and the small band began to set about preparations for sleep, a wind started up, bringing information of the surrounding area to the leader's keen nose, but with the wind came tidings from the human girl who froze in her task of setting the child to bed to better feel that it was true. The words were almost unbidden on her lips, tired from a day of heat and travel.

"I sense a jewel shard, and it's coming, fast."

Instantaneously, the group took up fighting stances, ready to defend themselves from any advancing foe and add another splinter of the sacred jewel to their ever-growing collection. The demon sensed their preparedness and stopped in the shadows, just out of sight to any but her who could see the shard imbedded in his forehead.

"Jyuu, is that you?"

The group paused at the voice, not expecting the casual friendly tone that came from the demon.

"C'mon Jiyuu, call off your humans. I won't hurt 'em."

To the group's further surprise, their leader, the mighty InuYasha, replied. "Kanashi? Is that you?"

The group nearly dropped their fighting stance in surprise. The girl was the first to respond, looking from the demon to their friend. "InuYasha, do you know this demon?"

"Know me?" The demon snorted. "He and I were companions for nearly a decade, until he heard about the Shikon no Tama and decided that stupid miko was more important than me. What did I tell you Jiyuu? It turned out bad. Told you it would. See you haven't learnt your lesson yet, have you?" He stepped out of the shadows and walked towards the girl, dark eyes focused on her as his pitch-black hair brushed against his forehead. He was taller than InuYasha, older too and a full demon from his pointed, almost elfish ears. "The miko's reincarnate? You failed with original, you'll fail with the second, it's that simple."

InuYasha barely held in a growl. "You don't talk about her that way."

Kanashi grinned. "Haven't even fucked her yet and you're so protective of her? Man, that fifty year nap made you soft."

InuYasha snorted. "And I suppose you're still getting into the same old trouble?"

"Of course! If anything, I'm getting into more."

She wasn't sure why, but that made her shudder. She remembered that village they had gone through a few days before, the shocking discovery of InuYasha's dark past, a time when he and this demon would have been companions. If he was doing worse things now¼

"Well," the monk stated, appearing next to the hanyou. "I believe you two should-"

"The only thing we should do is have Kanashi give us his jewel shard and never cross my path again," growled InuYasha.

Kanashi blinked. "You know I have a shard, but how..?" His eyes wandered to the girl. "Of course, the miko's reincarnation. No wonder he is so protective of you, little human. You know, if you teamed up with me, I'd be king of all Japan, and you, would be my lovely queen. Imagine the power of all those jewel shards, how we could destroy any who opposed us."

She pulled away from him, using InuYasha as a shield. "I'm happy here."

InuYasha growled. "You heard her, now hand it over and get out of here!"

The demon blinked, looking at the hanyou. "I bet you're still mad at me."

He snorted. "Of course I am. You betrayed me."

"'Betray' is such a harsh word. I much prefer," he paused, considering, "put you in a situation I knew you could get out of to make you tougher. You always were a little too soft."

InuYasha glared. "Do you have any idea what I did after that?"

"The slaughter? Of course. The whole demon world knows about it. That made your reputation."

The girl nearly fainted. "Slaughter?" She turned to InuYasha in shock. "Oh, InuYasha..."

He was silent, his hands clenched in tight fists. "This is your last warning Kanashi. Give us the jewel shard or I'll kill you."

"Kill me? As if little man. I was always stronger than you."

InuYasha growled, finally having enough. "I'm strong enough to kill you now. Give the shard, or need I prove myself?"

Kanashi snorted, turning his back to them. "This isn't worth my time. I'll see you later, Jiyuu. I'll be back, if only to taste the miko's flesh."

"Bastard!" InuYasha made to punch the demon, his form disappearing as the fist was about to hit. "Still has those cheap tricks, I see."

The group was silent for a long while as their leader continued fuming, almost unaware of their curious stares. Eventually, it was the fox child that asked the first question.

"InuYasha, why did he keep calling you Jiyuu?"

His back went rigid at the name, as if he hadn't even noticed the others had heard it until that moment. He didn't turn to face his little pack. He didn't dare. The girl stood behind him, hand hanging in the air between them as she debated whether touching his shoulder would result in anger or gratitude. In the end, she lay her hand on his shoulder. He didn't pay it any notice.

"Because, runt, my name is Jiyuu."

~

When he finally turned around, the faces were not what he had expected. Well, some of them were. The shocked and dumbfounded looks of his friends were almost amusing. He even smirked for a moment, until his eyes fell on the girl. Of course, the little miko looked surprised, but, it wasn't an unbelieving surprise, more a sad surprise, as if she should have known.

He didn't like any of that.

"What's with those looks?" he demanded, trying to sound only normally gruff. "It's not that big a deal."

"B-but," the woman spoke up first, "we've been calling you InuYasha all this time..."

"So?"

She looked a little embaressed now. "Isn't it a little," she hesistated, and then lowered her voice, "degrading?"

"Why? I call him 'monk', and him 'runt', I call her 'wench', for fuck's sake. How's 'InuYasha' more degrading than that?"

She looked flaberghasted, and it quickly became clear to him the other's in his group were going to forget about the rest of the conversation with Kanashi because of the revelation. Well, he thought, his eyes catching a glimpse of the girl, most of the group.

"B-but, how come everyone calls you InuYasha? Even your brother does!" The fox again. He was a nosy little thing. Oh well, the story would have to come out eventually now.

"When was the last time you asked a demon its name before we killed it? And as for my half-brother, when has he ever given a fuck about my 'feelings'." Even the monk's wandering hand didn't break the silence. He growled after a moment, turning it into a scream. "For fuck's sake! Quit starring at me! It's ancient history!"

"Do you want us to call you Jiyuu?"

It was the monk, with, perhaps, the most important question they could think of. He snorted, turning from them and preparing to jump into a branch overhead. "Do whatever you want."

With that, he jumped into the tree, leaving the rest of the group gathered together in silence.

~

It was midnight before he returrned to the ground. Because of his exit earlier that evening, he hadn't been able to take care of nature before he had settled into his tree, and now, nature called. As he was returning to the camp site, he looked overhis pack. All things considered, things were going to be pretty awkward the next few days. He sat down at the base of a tree where he could see everyone and sighed.

"Do I want to be called Jiyuu?" he said quietly, thinking hard. He could remember those days so clearly now. His childhood, his mother, her death. Even after all these years, it stung. He should have known, that first time he had seen his brother after his release, when he had that woman act like his mother. She had called him InuYasha. His mother had spent so much of her time trying to convince the people around him he wasn't a monster, that he had a name. She would have called him Jiyuu. But, his brother...

That bastard would have called him anything to avoid using his real name, a name given to him by their father. He had overheard a villager refere to him as InuYasha once, and the name had stuck. A way of mocking him and naming him at once. He wasn't a full demon, just a half, and n matter how much he had wished to be a full demon, it never would.

And then, there was Kanashi.

Kanashi had been his first friend, after his mother had died. He had shown him how to gain respect from humans, how to repay them for their kind deeds. The villagers had known him as InuYasha then, but Kanashi had always called him Jiyuu. Always. Maybe that was a part of ther reason he was hesitant to take back the name. Even his mother had only occaisionally used his name, prefering endearments when refering to him. But Kanashi, even in the worst slaughters, even while they had their fill of carnage, had never called him anything byt Jiyuu. He had even insisted that they declare themselves to those they were about to slay, have it so when the villagers begged for their lives, they used their names. It gave Kanashi a sick pleasure then, and, as a lost kid, it had made him feel powerful. Now, the memories sickened him.

Then, the miko. The news of the shikon no tama. She had never asked his name. InuYasha was just the natural thing to call him. When all they knew each other from was his attempts to reach the jewel, why would she need to know more? By the time the need for a real name was upon them, she seemed to have forgotten she had dubbed him InuYasha. He supposed when he changed into a human, she would have had to ask him what he wanted to be called. After all, why would she want to be reminded of what he had been?

Then, when the girl had broken the spell, the old woman had already known him as InuYasha and he hadn't felt the urge to clarify the mess. And now... now he wasn't sure what to say when they asked him if he wanted to be called Jiyuu.

"Are you still up?"

He didn't even need to look up to know who had spoken. "What about you?"

The girl shrugged. "Thinking?"

He nodded.

She smiled. "You know, if I was in your place, I'd want the name that felt the rightest, one that I could look back on with pride." She giggled. "I don't even know if that makes sense."

He chuckled. "Go to sleep, wench."

She nodded and lay down again, hugging the kit next to her. "Hey?"

"Yeah?"

"You think we'll be able to find that demon again soon and get those shards?"

He nodded. "No doubt. Now get some sleep."

~

It was a little before noon when Kanashi ran across them again, grinning stupidly in the middle of the road, waiting for them.

"Well, Jiyuu, have you come to your senses and decided to join with me again?"

There was no hesitation in his strike. In a moment, the edge of Tessaiga was at the demon's throat, close enough that he could whisper in his ear. "Until I've washed away all the blood I've spilled, I've no right to that name."

Okay, I know this is ignoring the sceen in the third movie when InuYasha's dad named him InuYasha, but, I was just thinking how weird it is for a dog demon to be called 'dog demon' when everyone else's names is more than just 'monk' or 'miko' or 'fox', like 'distruction' (or something) for Sesshoumaru. Yep. And, if you notice, the only names I used in here were InuYasha and Jiyuu. And Kanashi. Cause I figured he kinda needed it. Oh, and Jiyuu means freedom, by the way.