~Special Announcement~ Today's chapter is dedicated to HeartlessVampireGirl, tapionwarrior, kakashixangela, Kurokat013, Angel4EverLostInLife, Pixiecropse, Arkytior's Song, NightShade Arscelin, and cloudless midnight!

Disclaimer: I do not own either one of these great manga/anime. Red River belongs to Chie Shinohara and Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

Summary: All Kagome has ever wanted was for the Well to reopen so that she could return to her first love, Inuyasha. But the Fates had different plans for when. After she was forced to try to forget her life in the Sengoku Jidai, Kagome rejects Hojo's confession of love to her and ran when he got forceful. Then something happen, she was pulled down into a lake by the Queen of the Hittite's to be sacrifice for a Katashiro.

Before the queen could do she is saved by the Third Prince – Kail Mursili and became his concubine and then the incarnate of Ishtar, Goddess of Beauty and War. Now, she must fight her way back home as well as whatever the Fates throw at her.

As Fate Would Have It

Ursula was finally settled in with her new role of being a handmaid. She pulled her long curly hair back into a low ponytail but left two tendrils to frame her face. She picked up a bundle of clothing as she chatted mildly with the twins. "Did you hear Princess Kagome's screams last night? I was beginning to wonder if she had any knowledge of men." Her eyes took on a mischevious look as she lifted her hand in a confident manner. "That's it! I've found my mission here! It's my job to see that they marry!"

As the twins cheered in excitement, Hadi just so happened to pass by to see them slacking off. She narrowed her eyes as she shifted the weight of the tray she was holding and scolded them. "Alright, you three! Stop gossiping and get back to work! The Seven Day Fever has subsided with the Winter, but there's still lots of work to do." When the three younger women complied, grabbing the dirty clothes that were on the ground. "Prince Kail has just returned to the palace. He'll be exhausted from fulfilling his duties as both Commander in Chief and Crown Prince. We must serve him a hot meal."

Kagome walked in fiddling with the warm shawl draped over her body. She overheard just how busy her handmaids were going to be and offered her help. The miko pouted when Hadi rejected her aid, saying that a Princess should not sully her hands with their jobs. "But, Hadi-san, you're all so busy and with us being understaffed; it makes sense for me to help."

Ursula saw her chance and took it. "If Princess Kagome wants to help us, perhaps we should let her." she handed Kagome a clean robe from Kail's clothing bin. "Prince Kail is taking a bath right now. Would you please go wash him? Here are his clothes." The dark-haired handmaid gently shoved the priestess towards the bathing chamber and closed the curtain behind her, holding it closed tightly. "Take a bath with him, if you want."

Kagome blushed at Urusla's statement and made a mental note to try to be quieter next time she lets Kail be intimate with her like that. She straightened out her skirt and with a huff said, "Maybe I will take a bath with my Prince."

"Who is it?" Kail's tired voice echoed through the large chamber. "I'm glad you're here. Bring me the wine, will you?" He opened his weary eyes and a small smile spread over his lips when he saw that it was his Princess who had entered the bathing chamber. "Hello, Koibito."

The Princess smiled as she offered her Prince a bow. "Hello, Koishii." she held up the bundle of clothing that Ursula had forced into her hands. "I've brought your clothes." Kagome walked over to the large pool and kneeled down beside Kail, giving him a suggestive smirk. "Does my Prince require anything of me?"

Kail returned her look with one of his one as he lifted his empty goblet and pointed to the jug resting on the table near the wall. "It would please me if you poured me some wine."

Kagome smiled easily as she reached for the jug on the table and slowly began to pour Kail's favorite red wine into his cup. 'This is one of the few times he gets to relax.'

"Our sweet Prince practically runs the whole empire for his brother. He must be exhausted." Ankoku whispered as she eyed the prince up and down, slightly miffed that the water was obscuring her view of what she wanted to see most. "My lady, may I have my fun with Kail now?"

The priestess sighed. She knew that Ankoku was going to ask her of that since she had her way with Kail last night. It was only fair since both females cared deeply for the third Prince. "No. I still don't trust you completely. Kail is mine, but I will ask him to allow us to visit Zannanza one day." A cool breeze from outside caused a shiver to run down her spine since she did not have any winter clothes yet.

"What's wrong, Koibito?" Kail asked when he saw her shaking. "Are you cold?" A sneaky gleam entered his amberish eyes. He quickly grabbed Kagome by the waist before she had a chance to see the look on his face and pulled her into the warm bath with him. "If you're cold, you should get in the warm water with me."

Kagome shrieked in surprised when the hot water from the large pool soaked her thoroughly. She sputtered as she swiped her long bangs out of her eyes to glare at the laughing prince. "You drunken fool!" she cursed at him as she ringed her wet hair out. "If you wanted me in the bath with you, you just had to ask! Now, my clothes are soaking wet!"

Kail let out another deep chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist tighter and placed a sloppy kiss on her lips. "Of course you are! You're in my bath! This is payback for the snowball this morning." His eyes traveled down to her wet shirt, the white material of the simple robe transparent.

Ishtar Incarnate continued to glare daggers at Kail until she realized that he was not looking at her face any longer, but lower. She looked down and a blush tinted her cheeks when she realized she had forgotten to wrap her breasts this morning. Now that her clothes were wet, her breasts were clearly seen through the dripping material. Another breeze flew by and made her nipples stiffen from the cold. She pushed Kail away with an angry huff. "I'm going to change before I catch a cold." She hissed in pain when the movement pulled at the scar on her back. "Shit!"

"What's wrong?" Kail said, his tone concerned.

Kagome gave a weak laugh as she tried to wave the Prince off. "I'm alright. The scar on my back tends to hurt more since I was shot there before."

"The scar you got when you saved Zannanza?" Kail reached for his priestess when she nodded her head and took hold of her shoulders. "Do you mind if I look at it?" he softly pulled down the sleeves of her robe to reveal the puckered pink scar marring her otherwise smooth back. He slowly placed his finger gently on the disfigurement. "It's a shame that such beautiful skin has been marked like this."

"Kail..." Kagome whispered softly. The steam was slowly making her feel dizzy. The room was getting too hot. Kail was too close. She felt as if her body was on fire and only her prince could douse the flame. The priestess let out a moan when Kail's warm, wet tongue pressed against her scar in a teasing touch. She shivered as he drug his tongue down the center of her back until he touched the arch of her hips.

Kail lifted Kagome up out of the water, leaning her against the edge of the pool before he closed his lips over hers. He pried her lips apart with his tongue and deepened the kiss. He slowly peeled off the rest of her wet robe, feeling her shiver lightly. If she was cold, he would warm her up with his body. He placed her lower body against hers, the tip of his cock pressed tightly against her lower lips. All he had to do was apply the slightest pressure and he would slide home inside of her.

Kagome felt Kail slowly pull back to thrust into her and she quickly grabbed his hand. "Kail..." she whispered to catch his attention. When he looked up at her with cloudy golden eyes, she said, "I love you. I really do. But I'm not ready yet." She reached up and kissed him slowly on the lips. "Can we just do it like we did last night, please?"

A frustrated sigh left Kail's throat. He desperately wanted to feel Kagome's warm wet walls around him as he pounded into her until she screamed his name to the heavens. But he would respect her wishes and her religion. "Okay, Koibito." He leaned down to kiss her plump lips, "But next time we are intimate, I want you to touch me as well." At her nod, he reached down and fondled her with his fingers.

Soft mewls left Kagome as her Prince slid his fingers into her slick center. That hot coil from last night was back and was winding tighter and tighter with every thrust of Kail's nimble fingers. It was not until Kail curled his fingers and found that rigged patch of flesh inside did Kagome scream out her release. She let out a pleased sigh as she fell back on the thick rug near the tub. Kagome felt Kail shift over her and place the length of his penis along her slit.

Kail slowly began to rub himself against Kagome's slick center and although he wanted to inside her feeling her wet walls clamping down on his cock, the feeling of her slippery slit would be good enough. He let out a grunt as he picked up the pace, sliding his member against her to increase the friction. Teshub, she felt amazing! Her pussy was so hot even on the outside that Kail could only imagine how it would feel once they were joined. He would probably melt from the intensity of it. He let out a curse when he slipped, the crown of his cock pressing against her moist opening and Kail had to force himself to not push inside. Instead, he pulled back and teased her with the tip, circling it around and took her left breast into his mouth.

The priestess gasped in pleasure at the feeling of Kail's hot tongue swirling around her nipple. She hissed when his teeth grazed over the tender flesh teasingly as he pushed the tip against her nether lips, but never penetrated. That move was going to drive her mad and it was causing Ankoku to strain against her barriers. The dark embodiment was cursing at Kagome for not letting Kail fuck them properly. But the warrior miko had a tight rein on Ankoku because of the purity burning the youkai's soul.

Kagome opened her mouth in a silent scream when Kail's head spread her lower lips just enough to put pressure on her dripping hole. She screamed out her Prince's name when he put pressure on the small bundle of nerves that sat above her center and with that her honey came rushing out of her body.

Kail used her release to his advantage as he slid his length faster along her slit, thrusting with everything he had. He brought his fingers, slick with her juices, to his mouth and licked them clean as he rubbed roughly against her. He was not done with Kagome yet. The prince pulled away and turned the limp Princess on her stomach. As he licked his lips at the sight of Kagome being presented to him like a concubine should, Kail placed his cock along her crack and began to thrust, her oragasm from before adding extra lubriant.

Ishtar Incarnate could only moan and cry out at what her Prince was doing to her body. He had reached down and pinched both of her nipples between his fingers as he rode her. She could feel that coil burning in her belly again as Kail kept rubbing his hot, large cock against her. It tightened and tightened until it snapped. Kagome let out a loud scream as her orgasm washed over her in waves.

The blond felt Kagome shaking as her third orgasm hit her. He could feel his coming and he sped up even more, rubbing fast and hard against her ass. Kail grinded his cock into the soft, yet firm flesh of her back side as his sticky, hot cum shot from his body. He shuddered as his release came out in thick spurts that coated Kagome's back. The prince pulled his princess back into the cooling waters and washed her gently, making sure that her body was clean. "Aishiteru, Koibito."

Kagome smiled lazily as she returned the favor and washed Kail's body with his favorite scent. When she was finished, the miko wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a deep kiss. "Aishiteru, my Koishii. My Prince Kail."

Kail smiled as he scooped Kagome up in his arms. "We'll catch cold if we stay here." He exited the tub and adjusted his grip to grab his robe. "We should put something on quickly." He smiled when she nodded and nuzzled her cheek against his chest affectionately before placing a kiss over the place where his heart lay. Kail walked out of the bathing chamber and sent a knowing smirk behind his shoulder to the four handmaids, who were trying to make themselves look busy.

"Did you see what happened?" Ryui said as she covered her hands with her face when a dark blush spread over her cheek. "They almost went all the way!"

"But why did they stop?" Shalla asked, her face just as red as her twins.

Ursula crossed her arms over her chest as she drew her lower lip into her mouth. "Having Princess Kagome bring wine to the Prince didn't work..." she unfurled her arms and held up a fist in agitation. While they did do some type of intimate acts, they did not consummate their relationship completely. Kagome would not allow the Prince to do so for some reason. "Argh! I wish I could steal an Egyptian love potion or some of the Queen Nakia's Rose Water and put it in their food. That would do the trick!"

Ilbani felt a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face from his hairline as he overheard the four handmaids' conversation. "It seems we've hired a very capable staff."

Kagome sat outside of the palace entrance, enjoying the view of the falling snow when Ankoku decided to bug her. "You're a selfish bitch, you know that right?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about?" Kagome said with a smirk on her face. She knew damn well what the demoness was talking about how she would not let Ankoku out to experience the pleasure Kail bestowed on her.

Ankoku hissed angrily at her mistress. "You're so fucking lucky that I have purity burning at my soul or I would-" She stopped her rant as she felt a tug on her soul. Zannanza was calling her. A seductive smile spread over her lips as her heart began to pound within her chest. "My Prince calls. Perhaps, he'll give me the pleasure that you're denying me from Kail."

Kagome sighed in relief when she felt the dark embodiment leave her consciousness. She thanked the Gods for the peace and quiet she was going to have for the next few hours while Ankoku gorged herself with Zannanza's attentions. While she was slightly disappointed in the Egyptian King for not being completely faithful to his Queen, she understood that he did love her and Ankoku first. And the miko demoness did resemble Kagome enough to take her place in Zannanza's heart.

The miko flinched when something cold struck her on the back of her head. "What the hell? Tito-kun, you brat! I'm gonna get you for that!" she growled as she scooped up some snow, thinking that it was Tito who threw the first attack at her. But she paused in her action of throwing the snowball when the miko saw that it was a small child with curly blond hair who had thrown the projectile at her.

"Splat!" the child laughed as he tossed another snowball at her. "Splat, splat!"

Kagome smiled gently down at the child when he lifted his arms up to her. She moved over to pick the boy up when the servants rushed over to where she had been after hearing her cries of rage. They questioned what happened. The miko lifted her eyes from the child, "Does anyone know this child?" She gained a worried look on her face when the boy suddenly slipped on a patch of ice and fell to the ground. Tears welled up in his eyes before he started crying.

"Kail? Where are you?" a woman's voice called out in the distance. A few seconds later a beautiful woman with long wavy blonde hair walked out of the other temple doors. "Oh, Kail. I didn't know where you were." she walked over to the child, kneeling down to scold him gently. "You mustn't wander off like that. I brought you here so you could meet His Highness."

Kikkuri's eyes widened just a bit from surprise as he said, "Princess Güzel!" he laughed nervously when the twins shot him a suspicious look as they questioned who the woman was. "She's Princess Güzel. Her father was once chairman of the senate."

Güzel smiled charmingly, her light violet eyes twinkling happily, as she greeted Kagome. "You must be Ishtar. How do you do?"

Kail reached for the heavy outer robe to drape over his body from one of the servants assisting him. He reached behind his head to tie the decorative headband when Ilbani entered his room to inform him that the chairman of the senate wishes to speak with him. The Hittite Prince raised a single golden brow as he placed one of his earrings on its perch on his lobe. "Aygil wants to see me?" At his foster brother's nodded and explanation that the aforementioned man was waiting in the antechamber for him. "He's here? At this hour?" Kail sighed. "Why did he come here? I see him at the Emperor's palace every day."

Ilbani shrugged his shoulders. "I believe you should meet with him, your Highness."

As a lighter robe was placed on his shoulders, Kail sighed once more. This was cutting into his alone time with Kagome. And she was just now letting him touch her so intimately after nearly a year and half of celibacy. "What is it? Is it a secret of some sort?" He walked out of his bedchamber to greet the man standing patiently in his antechamber.

"Forgive me for disturbing you so early in the day, your Highness." The man bowed once he set eyes on the young Crown Prince.

Kail threw the loose end of his outer robe over his shoulder to fight off the chill of the early winter morning, "It's alright, Aygil. I know you wouldn't come here without good reason." He beckoned for the older man to rise out of his low bow. "What is it you wished to discuss with me?"

Aygil rose slowly, keeping his eyes low out of respect for the Crown Prince. "Thank you, Crown Prince." He placed his hands into the long sleeves of his robe to hide them from the chilly breeze that fluttered through the room. "Do you remember my daughter?" he asked cautiously.

Kail's eyes widened slightly as he thought of Aygil's daughter. She was quite the beauty with long, flowing blond hair and pretty light brown eyes, but his Kagome was far more beautiful. "Princess Güzel?" he spoke calmly, his brow lifted slightly. "Of course I do. How is she?"

"I am honored that you remember her, Your Highness." Aygil said with a smile as he dared to lift his eyes up just a bit to meet with the Prince's. When he got no reprimand for it, he continued, "I was unsure whether or not I should tell you this..." he trailed off. "You may think I am mad, but Güzel gave birth to a baby boy about a year ago. Prince Kail, the child is your son."

Güzel smiled charmingly as a light dusting of red flitted over her cheeks. She held her child closer to her chest as she admitted to the Ishtar Incarnate and her servant to origins of the boy. "About two summers ago, Prince Kail visited my palace almost every night. He is the father of my son." She snuggled the baby in her arms fondly.

Kagome stood there in shock as the words of the Princess repeated in her head like a mantra. That child was Kail's? Why was she just now coming to tell him this? It did not make sense? Why would Güzel wait until Kail was Crown Prince to bring her son here? 'What's going on here?! Kail's never mentioned him having a child by another woman. Is she telling the truth or is she lying? I don't know what to believe!' Her heart began to pound rather painfully in her chest. She knew that Kail had many lovers in the past, being dubbed the Playboy Prince of the Hittites. Kagome also knew that she and Kail had not met when he was with Güzel, but it did not stop the heartache that was clutching at her chest.

It hurt to breathe. Kagome quickly dismissed herself from everyone as she ran to her day room. She promptly fell to her knees as she placed her hand over the let side of her chest. The priestess felt like she was going to throw up. Why was this happening now? They were just beginning to enjoy a peaceful life together. Why was everything suddenly trying to take turn for the worse with her relationship? Why was Fate messing with her? "Damn you, Fate! Why do you constantly cause me so much pain when I'm finally happy! I will control my own destiny whether you like it or not, bitch!"

The news of Kail having a son spread throughout the kingdom rather quickly. The town was abuzz with praise for their Crown Prince. They gossip among themselves, asking who the mother was, and that the baby may one day succeed his father on the throne. Soon the news reached the emperor and he went to congratulate his brother.

"Kail." Arnuwanda said with a smile. "I understand you have an heir. I'm very happy for you." He lifted his hand for his brother to rise out of his polite bow. "Has Princess Güzel come to live in your palace yet?"

The blond prince shifted uncomfortably on his feet and his eyes took on a weary gleam. He has not been able to speak with Kagome about this matter. It was almost as if she was avoiding him. She would spend most of her time in her day room, go to bed early and would wake before him in the mornings. The worst part was that he has not been able to touch her in days. "Brother.." he sighed. "Your Majesty, it's too soon to say that I have an heir."

The Tarbana gave Kail a look that screamed his confusion as he lifted his hands in explanation. "Why? Princess Güzel's mother is from a noble family, which makes her eligible to be your lawful wife." His brown eyes turned serious as he warned. "If you don't marry her, it will cause a scandal." Arnuwanda paused as he reached up and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Though you may take her as a concubine before you marry her, if you wish. In any case, you should have her move into your palace immediately and treat her with the proper respect!"

Kagome was tending to the baby hawk that she found abandoned in the snow a few days ago, feeding it small grains of oat that she mixed with water. Her keen hearing picked up on the voices of her handmaids gossiping about the news of Kail's child. They wondered if he would move Güzel into the palace and if he was pleased to have a baby boy. Kagome felt the ache in her chest return with a vengeance as she hugged the basket closer to her chest. "I wonder if Kail wants children?" she asked no one in particular.

Hadi and the others turned at the sound of the Princess' voice. "Oh! Princess Kagome!" they laughed nervously as they watched the young woman slide off her perch on the ledge, placed her baby hawk down after covering her up. They scrambled for something to do to avoid confrontation with the miko. Hadi and Shalla rushed off to prepare dinner, Ryui went to do some cleaning, and Ursula ran off the gather some water.

Ishtar Incarnate arched a brow. Her handmaids did not have to rush off like they had something serious to do. She already overheard them and she knew how important it was for a man of this time to have a son. It was a sign of great pride for a man of such power like Kail to have an heir. She went back over to the wall and grabbed the basket, holding her newest animal companion, and walked back inside.

Kash noticed the Princess and greeted her with a smile. "Hello, Princess Kagome. I guess you heard the good news." He failed to see the grimace Kagome gave as he continued to talk about the baby Güzel has provided for Kail and telling her something that she already knew. "Since Prince Kail, the Crown Prince of the great Hittite Empire, has great influence, I'm sure he's delighted to have an heir." He would have kept talking if it were not for the sudden pain exploding over the back of his head.

Ursula smashed a clay urn against Kash's head. "Sorry. There was a bug on your head."

Hadi, Shalla, and Ryui grabbed Kagome by the arms, guiding her to the kitchen. "Princess Kagome, I'm baking bread with honey and dried plums. "I need you to taste it. As they ushered the priestess out of the room, Kash and Ursula's bickering voices could be heard. The twins looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

"Princess Kagome," Hadi said when they came to a stop just outside the small kitchen. "Pay no heed to what Kash said..."

Kagome cuddled the basket with her baby hawk in it, smiling when the little bird let out a small cry. "It's okay." She walked back down the hall and into her day room, where she set the her bird down on the open window to let her get some sunlight. 'While it does hurt a little to know that Kail may have fathered a child with some other woman, I still have his love.' She placed her hand over the left side of her chest, feeling her heart beat rather painfully. 'And though I may will never be his lawful wife by Hittite terms, Kail will be my husband one day. I'm sure of it.' She stroked her hawk under the chin once more before closing the curtain and walking out of her day room.

The loud buzzing of voices echoed through the halls of the palace when Kagome had finally come back to help her handmaids clean up.

"Prince Kail is home." Hadi said as she placed another wet cloth on the drying line. She dried her hands on the thick skirt of her dress and started walking back to the kitchen. The elder Hatti sibling stopped when Ursula motioned for her to stop. "What is it, Ursula?"

Ursula bit her lip before she pointed her finger over her shoulder at Kagome and mouthed that Kail was a little caught up with a small problem. Raising a brow in confusion, Hadi opened her lips to speak, but before she could form the question, a soft voice called out loudly.

"Your Highness! Why won't you see Kail, your son!" Princess Güzel called out frantically to the Prince. "You refused to see him the other day as well." She stopped just short of touching Kail's arm as she turned eyes sparkling with tears up at him. "Are you angry that I didn't inform you about our child sooner? Or are you upset that I gave him your name? I told no one who the boy's father was until now." Güzel bowed her head as she let her arm fall back to her side. "But when my father found out that you fathered my child, he told me it was wrong to not let you know. My father nor I wish to further our own ambitions."

Kail sighed as he placed his hand against his forehead. "Princess Güzel, let us speak of this some other time." He turned to the dark-haired Archer Commander. "Rusafa, please escort Princess Güzel home for me." He opened his eyes and turned to leave the room when he spotted Kagome standing in the doorway. "Koibito..." he whispered softly.

Kagome smiled sadly as she shook her head. "My Prince, why won't you hold the child in your arms?" she walked over to the blond and placed her fingers against his chest. "It won't do any harm just to gaze up him. He's a very charming child. Just like his father." She teased softly. "I will always be here for you, so do not worry about me."

The prince took a step forward, forcing his princess to walk backward to the wall behind her. He trapped her between his arms as he placed both hands against the stone. "Güzel's child is not my son."

A frown tilted Kagome's lips down as she stared hard at Kail. "If that's true, then why not inform everyone?" She arched a fine brow when he said that it was not the right time yet. Rolling her dark sapphire-blue eyes, Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh really? You're sounding like a man who doesn't want to take responsibility for his child." She shoved him away from her and thumped him in the center of his forehead, making sure to lite the tip of her finger with her purification to leave a small red mark. "I don't associate with no good fathers. It's really unattractive."

Kail felt anger at Kagome's response. He expected her to believe him no matter what. She was his love, his Kagome, his Koibito. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed her the waist and pulled her over to his stallion. "Give me the reins!" he told Kikkuri and he threw Kagome on the peach-colored horse, climbing on after her. He snapped the reins and made the beast begin a fast gallop. "Open the gates!"

"Prince Kail, what are you doing?" Kagome said as she buried her face in his chest to keep the dust from getting in her eyes. "Prince Kail, answer me!" she yelled when he ignored her the first time. A growl left her when the prince continued to ignore her demands, merely saying that if she wished to keep her tongue, then she should keep quiet. "Where the hell are you taking me?" Kagome cried once more before the jostling of the stallion forced her to close her mouth lest she really did bite off her tongue.

They rode for a while longer until they reached a building with two bronze doors sealing it shut. "Open those gates!" Kail order the two guards standing near a small fire. They immediately obliged, pulling the gate open for the Prince and his struggling captive. Once they were inside the extravagantly decorated room of the building, Kail allowed Kagome to slip from his arms.

Kagome shot the Prince an annoyed look before her her eyes lit up at the sight of the beauty of the building she was inside. "Where are we?" she asked as she walked over to touch the paintings carved into the nearest wall. "I never knew there was such a place like this is Hattusa."

Kail panted from the long and hard ride he had done to reach this place, sweat rolling down the side of his face from his hairline. He pierced Kagome's eyes with his hardened gaze as he spoke up, "I'm going to tell you once more, Kagome. Güzel's son is not my child."

Dark blue eyes rolled as she crossed her arms over her chest as she cocked her hip out. "Sure, he isn't. Cut the crap, Kail! Just man up and take responsibility for the child! Do you really want this to become a scandal!" she gasped when Kail moved closer to her, grabbing her wrist tightly in his hands.

"I don't care what other people think!" He hissed, golden eyes ablaze. "But I want you to know the truth." Kail softened his gaze as he gestured to the room around them and he gently pulled her closer to his body. "This is my mother's tomb. No one but my father and I have ever entered this place."

Kagome jostled. This was the late Queen Hinti's grave? Kail's beloved mother? She placed her hands against his chest softly as she gazed tenderly into his eyes. "Prince Kail, did you bring me here just so that I would believe you? Your mother's tomb has to be very sacred to you." The miko tilted her head back to receive her prince's loving kiss as tears started to brim her eyelids. She was supposed to be his Koibito, the one person to trust and believe him. 'And yet I said all those horrible things to him!'

Kail stroked his fingers through her long dark hair, noticing that it had grown longer once more, fluttering down to the slender waist in gentle waves. "I remember the last time I saw Güzel." he muttered against her lips. "She gave birth to the child nearly a year after that. Her son cannot be mine. I've no doubt that Aygil honestly thinks that the boy is mine."

"Do you think Princess Güzel has lied to you?" Kagome asked as she leaned her head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.

"The Güzel I knew would have have lied about something so important." Kail reassured as his fingers traced circles along the length of her back. "She was honest and sincere." He sighed as he pulled the courage to say the next words, praying to Teshub that Kagome or Ankoku would not castrate him. "That's why I once considered marrying her."

Kagome shot him an evil glare. Kail was so very lucky that Ankoku was still with Zannanza or the Prince may have lost his manhood in her fury of hearing that sentence. Instead, Kagome settled for pressing her knee tightly into his groin, inflicting just a small amount of pain. Petty as it was, Kagome did not want to hear about the past woman Kail had considered marrying. "That so?" she said with an evil grin as she pushed her knee further into his crotch. "Then why would she lie now? Do you believe someone is controlling her words?" The miko gasped as she moved her knee and she grabbed Kail's face between her hands. "My Prince, what color are Princess Güzel's eyes?"

Kail whimpered as he held on to his family jewels, trying to ease the pain circulating in them. "Her eyes? They're a hazel color similar to Zannanza's. Why?"

"We need to go back to the Palace, Prince Kail." Kagome said as she got up and walked over to the stallion. 'The only person capable of controlling people is Nakia. But I need to scan Güzel's body for evidence.' "We don't have time to lose."

The Prince nodded as he gathered Kagome into his arms and set her down on the horse in front of him. As they left the late Queen's tomb, Kail looked back with a sad smile. 'I don't know if this girl will become my wife or not, but I wanted you to see her, Mother.' He gazed lovingly down at the young woman settled tightly against his chest and he knew that if his mother was alive, she would have adored Kagome.

Kagome stood in front of her friends as she explained everything that was going on. That Nakia was controlling Princess Güzel with her dark water, Güzel's eye's being a shade of violet the main sign. But what no one could understand why is she is making the Princess falsely claim that Kail fathered a child with her. It did not make any sense. Just what does Nakia have to gain from this?

Ilbani placed his hands inside his sleeves, his sharp grey eyes locked on Ishtar Incarnate's form as she helped Tito put on the tear gem necklace. "You've grasped the situation. His Highness and I would also like to know the Queen's motives."

The priestess paused in her action of tugged a comb through Tito's thick curly hair. She cut her eyes over the Kail's foster brother and sighed. Even Kagome did not know that Nakia was thinking entirely. She ran the comb through the squirming child's hair once more as she said, "Nakia's one ambition is very clear. She wants Prince Juda to be the King of the Hittites."

Kail chuckled at the comical sight of Tito trying to get away from the comb that his Koibito was using and felt a bit jealous that she never offered to comb his hair. Dismissing those thoughts of being jealous of a child from his mind, he cast his eyes on his princess. "Exactly. But if I had a son, that would hurt Juda's chances even further. So why would Nakia create this situation?"

Before Kagome could answer, Kikkuri rushed into the meeting room. He cast a laughing look at Tito when Kagome had pulled his thick auburn highlighted hair into a ponytail. The brunette then remembered that he had an important message for the Prince. "A messenger was just sent here, my Prince. Chairman Aygil requests that you come to his home immediately." He said as he kneeled down on one knee in front of the chaise lounger Kail was sitted in. "Princess Güzel is upset that you haven't acknowledged her child as your own.

Kail sighed. "I suppose I must go." He looked over at Kagome and saw that her eyes were shimmering a golden orange color, signalling that Ankoku had returned from her visit with Zannanza. He groaned at the ear lashing he was going to receive from the miko youkai and quickly walked over to her. "Don't worry. I will be back soon." He promised as he grasped Kagome/Ankoku's chin in her fingers. Kail pulled her in for a sweet kiss, running his tongue along the seam of her lips until she opened up for him. Their tongues slid along each others as they fought for dominance. Ankoku tried to overpower him with her strength but in the end Kail's greater experience in the art of seduction won.

"Shall I ready your chariot?" Kikkuri asked.

"Just a horse." The Prince replied.

Kagome watched as Kail left the room, his kiss seemingly pacifying Ankoku for now, but she knew that the miko youkai would demand answers sooner or later. She let of a tired sigh when the dark embodiment stirred restlessly at the exact moment. 'I knew I should have told her last night when I felt her return.'

"You're damn right!" Ankoku hissed.

"You didn't tell me you'd be gone for days!" Kagome shot back.

Ankoku smiled secretly as she licked his full red lips. "Want to know what I was doing these last few days?" She laughed at the miko's quick shout of "NO!"

Kail turned on his heel and pointed at his Koibito. "Kagome, listen to me. I ask you to be a good girl. You're not to leave this palace without my permission," He laughed when Kagome hissed at him and threw the closest thing, which happened to be a plate full of her favorite treat, honey-pickled jujubes, at him.

"Dammit!" she cursed when she release what he had done. Kagome crossed her arms and pouted until Tito offered to go and fetch her more of the sweet, tangy treats for her. She flashed him a grateful smile. "I'd love that Tito-kun."

"So that boy isn't Prince Kail's child." Kash said as he bit into a apple, leaning against the oven.

Ursula placed a pot of stew down and carefully pushed it inside the oven to cook. "I'm so glad." she said with relief. Now her mission to see that Prince Kail and Kagome marry could go on without any problems.

Kash finished eating his fruit before speaking, throwing the core into the fire. "Why?" he questioned, leaning in closer to the pretty dark-haired woman. "However many children Prince Kail may have, he will still love Princess Kagome."

"That's not the point, you neanderthal!" she hissed, pointed a dull knife at the soldier. "You're so thick-headed!"

"I'm a soldier!" Kash retaliated. "A thick skull is an asset!"

Kagome sighed as she tried to calm the quarreling couple down. There was no need for them to fight. Although Kagome did not want to think about Kail having children with anyone other than her, she was happy just knowing that he'd never love another like he loved her. Her lips curled up into a teasing smile when the twins commented on how the two really felt about each other. "So, that's why Kash-san has been around so often. He has a crush on Ursula." She laughed when they immediately denied the attraction between them and began formulating a plan to get them together.

-A few hours later-

The miko threw the pillows off of her chaise in frustration as she continued to search for her precious item. "Where is it?" she questioned as she dug through the cushions of the couch. Turning her attention to her bed, she tossed the sheets off of it and let out a cry of frustration. Footsteps caught her attention and she rushed to the door. "Ursula-san!" she called out frantically for the handmaid. "I can't a bracelet that Prince Kail gave me. I think it had gotten tangled up in Raion's mane. Would you mind going to his stable and see if you can find it for me, please?"

Ursula handed the princess the basket of jujubes that she was going to pickle for her. "Of course, Princess Kagome. I'll go right now." she walked down the long corridor until she reached the doors that lead outside. Cautiously she walked over to the stables. "Kikkuri-san, are you here? Oh?" she said. "Kikkuri-san went with Prince Kail. I remember that now." Ursula sighed as she moved over to the midnight stallion that the princess called her own. "Hello, Raion. May I look at your mane." Raion shook his head up and down at the unfamiliar hands touching him. "Easy boy. I'm looking for something very dear to our mistress, Princess Kagome. Easy now." She gasped when the black horse suddenly reared up and kicked free from his restraints,"Kyaah!"

Kash walked into the stables, ready to do what was asked of him when he saw Ursula fall underneath Raion as the stallion reared up on his hind legs. "Ursula!" he cried out in panic and she ran over to the fallen woman, scooping her into his arms, and ducking just as Raion jumped over them and ran out the door. "Are you alright?"

"Um..." Ursula managed out as she placed her hand in Kash's. "Yes. Thank you. He scare me." A blush tinted her cheeks when she realised just how close they were. Just as she was about to move away, she gasped when Kash grasped her by the shoulders and his surprisingly soft lips closed over hers. Ursula nearly melted into the kiss before she came back to her senses. Shoving Kash away from her, Ursula rubbed her tingling lips. "What are you doing?! I have no intention of becoming your plaything! If you want a woman, go to a brothel!"

"I don't want a plaything!" Kash tried to explain.

Ursula rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever. You're an Aristocrat. How could someone of your station have a honest attraction in a poor village girl." She continued, staring at him hard with piercing dark brown eyes. "One who impersonated Princess Kagome."

"I'm only an Aristocrat in name!" The Chariot Commander yelled, his pale brown eyes burning into Ursula's orbs. "My father died when I was a child, I grew up in poverty, like you." His hand balled up into a tight fist as he looked away from the beauty in front of him. I understand why you'd try so hard to escape that fate even if it meant doing things you regret. If Prince Kail hadn't taken me in, I might have became a thief in order for my mother and sister had food to eat." He looked back at Ursula and saw tears forming in her beautiful brown eyes. "Come live with me, Ursula. Once this trouble is resolved, I shall ask Prince Kail and Princess Kagome's permission."

"How many others are there?" Ursula asked timidly as her tears threatened to spill over. "How many women live in your house right now?"

Kash growled at the question as he blushed even deeper than he already was. "You little fool! Even Prince Kail has one woman only!" He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "How can I have more women than the Prince?"

Ursula snuggled deeper into Kash's embrace, marveling in his warmth. She knew then and there that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this wonderful man holding her so dear. And then she remembered, "Kash, why did you come to the stables?"

"Oh, yes!" he said as he looked around for the dark stallion that had rushed out of the stables frantically. "Princess Kagome asked me to feed Raion."

"But Raion has already been fed."

They looked up at each other with suspicion in their eyes before laughing between themselves. Kagome had set them up because they were taking too long to share their feelings. The new couple embraced once more, silently thanking the miko for her help.

Outside, Kagome was feeding sugar cubes to Raion while nuzzling his nose. "Good boy." she cooed, stroking her fingers through his thick black mane. "You did well, Raion. Such a good actor." She sighed as she watched Kash and Ursula walk out hand-in-hand from the stables. 'Soon, when all this blows over Kail and I will marry by Shinto ways. There's no reason why my friends shouldn't find love also.'

"Are you going to tell me what's going on now!" Ankoku hissed. She's been gone for a few days indulging herself with her Prince's love that she nearly did not want to come back. But Ankoku knew that if she continued to possess the Egyptian Queen's body, she'd consume the woman's soul. 'If that woman isn't pregnant by now, then I don't know what's wrong with her.'

Kagome groaned when Ankoku's voice echoed through her mind impatiently. She had forgotten that she still has not informed the demoness of what is going on. Preparing her reiki for the large outburst that was going to follow, Kagome said, "Nakia is controlling a woman named Güzel, whom Kail used to date, into spreading around that her son belongs to Kail." She quickly released her stored powers when Ankoku lashed out in anger, pushing it into the purity staining the miko youkai's soul just enough to calm her to submission. "Calm down! Going into a killing spree won't solve anything. Now that I know that she is being controlled by Nakia's Dark Water all we need to do is force the liquid out of her system and the truth will be revealed."

Ankoku pouted from her confinement as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking quite childish. "Going on a killing spree would help me feel better about this whole situation. Or perhaps a night of pleasure with my sweet Prince." She smiled seductively as she stroked her finger down the line of her cleavage. "Please, Lady Kagome, I miss his touch so much. I swear I won't do anything except touch him and he touch me."

The miko growled in her head and was tempted to use the power of the Shikon's purity to burn Ankoku. Kail belonged to her! No one was allowed to have him! But then she realized that she was not the only one who shared feelings for the Prince. Even though Ankoku;s feelings for Zannanza were much stronger, she did love Kail also as he did Ankoku. Sighing, Kagome nodded. "Only after all this blows over. And if you so much as try to jump his bones, I will summon the largest blast of purity and zap the shit out of your horny ass!"

Kagome rubbed the baby hawk underneath the chin, cooing as she did so. The little bird was growing so big and was starting to molt as it grew into its adult feathers. Looking around, she noticed that the palace was vaguely quiet, a bit too quiet. There was no Ilbani nagging to Kail about some sort of political matter, no Kikkuri scurrying around doing some job for Kail, and most importantly, there was no Prince Kail trying to get her into his arms. Glancing over at the Hatti twins, she asked, "Did Prince Kail go to visit Princess Güzel today as well?"

Ryui nodded her head sadly. "Yes, Her messenger arrived earlier."

Ankoku stirred restlessly but did not say anything. It's been a few days since Kagome had informed her of what was going on. While it infuriated her that Kail was spending nearly all his time with that controlled Princess, the promise that she would have her wicked ways with him once this was over pacified her to not take over and go on a mass killing spree. Starting with Nakia first, of course. She'd been itching to run the evil woman through with her scythe and watch her bleed out while writhing in pain from her poison since she first laid eyes on the Queen.

Kagome pulled her cloak further over her hawk's makeshift nest to ward off the chill. She wished she knew just what Nakia was up to, but she swore to Kail that she would remain in the palace until the right moment. It was utter torture to stay still. Her blood was boiling with the urge to go out and see the end to this problem. For her to act like the warrior she was and stop acting like a damned damsel in distress. "Ugh!" she screamed in frustration.

The miko turned when she heard Hadi call out for Ursula, wondering where she had gone. She smiled and said that the young woman probably gone to see her fiance. The elder Hatti sibling rolled her eyes, wishing that Ursula would have simply told her than she was going to see Kash.

"Princess Kagome!" Ursula's voice rang out as she rushed into the room.

Kagome turned a sly smirk at the dark-haired servant. "Hello Ursula. Have a good time with Kash-san. Next time let us know where you've been. Hadi-san was getting worried."

Ursula blushed modestly. While she was with Kash, that was not the reason why she had been gone for so long. "Forgive me." She got down on her knees in front of the Princess in a show of respect. "But, please, listen! I stole into the Queen's palace and saw something terrible!" Digging into her sleeve, Ursula produced a small brown sack and presented to the miko. "Look at this! I was told that the Queen had bought it from Egypt in secret. Not even the Pharaoh knew of it. She must be planning something evil again!"

"Ursula, that was very dangerous." Kagome chastised before a gleam entered her dark blue eyes. "How did you do it?"

"A guard at the Queen's palace was happy enough to let me in for a kiss." She giggled as she pursed her lips as she remembered the love struck look on the man's face when she kissed him soundly on the cheek. "That bigmouth told me many things. I was able to steal this with ease."

The miko walked over and hugged her handmaid tightly. "I thank you for your service, Ursula." she said softly in the older woman's ear. "But please, refrain from doing something so reckless again." Kagome pulled away with a teasing smile curling at her lips. "I'm the one who's supposed to do reckless things that irritate the Queen."

Ursula laughed softly. "Yes, Princess Kagome."

Ishtar Incarnate took the pouch from Ursula's hands and opened it. She blinked at the small white powder that lined the bottom of the bag, "You said that the Queen had gotten this from Egypt with the Pharaoh's knowledge?" Kagome mentally cursed Ankoku out for being such a distraction to Zannanza, but the miko youkai merely smirked and bragged about the hot sex she had with him. "I don't to hear about that, you lewd youkai!" "What would Nakia want with a white powder?"

"Perhaps an Egyptian would know what it is." Ursula suggested.

Kagome grimaced at the suggestion. There was only one Egyptian that would be more than willing to help them discover the origins of the powder. She sighed as she rolled her eyes. "I guess I have no choice. Where's the Egyptian Embassy?"

Ramses had just finished wiping the snow that had fallen from the roof and onto his head when he heard someone call out his mane. Looking up at the source, a sly smirk found its way to his lips as he swept his arm out in a mock bow. "Well, well, I never thought you come to see me." He licked his lips and looked up up and down, appreciating that even in the chill of the Winter, Kagome still wore shorter robes that did not cover her mile long legs.

The miko shot him and glare before loosening her robe some so that it draped over her legs. "This isn't a social call, Ramses." she offered the brown pouch to the Egyptian, pulling the string so that it fell open. "Do you know just what this powder if. Ankoku can't get a scent on it." She had told the heterochromatic man about her darker side when the youkai had managed to take control and nearly raped Ramses(not that he was not willing, just a bit shocked). "I was informed that it came from Egypt."

"Let me see it." The tall Egyptian placed the tip of his pinky into the powder and sampled it with his tongue. Once the powder entered his mouth, his eyes shot open wide and he spat the substance out quickly while snatching the pouch out of Kagome's hands. "Where did you get this? It's poison! A deadly Egyptian poison extracted from the root of a plant. It can kill a man or even a bull with ease."

Ankoku growled deep within her chest as she took control because of the rise of Kagome's anger. "That bitch plans to poison my Prince?"

Ursula, who has never witnessed the impure side of Kagome other than when she was being insulted by her, shrunk back some at the dark aura she felt emitting from the priestess. In a soft timid voice, she said, "I saw the Queen put the powder in a jar of wine." She jolted when Ankoku turned burning golden-orange eyes on her. "And it was then loaded onto a wagon with other good as if it the wagon was about to leave the palace." She took a step back when Ankoku advanced on her with fangs bared in a snarl. "It won't be hard to find, Princess. I made a hole in a bag of wheat so that we could follow the train of grain."

Ramses placed his hand on Ankoku's shoulder, trying to soothe her with his touch. "Ankoku, she is a very clever girl. Come, let's go find out where that wagon went."

The miko demoness nodded. Turning on her heels and headed in the direction of the Queen Dowager's palace. Soon the reached the port where the good was transported out of the kitchens and she spotted the trail of wheat scattered on the ground. "There is the trail. The wagon has already left."

"We only need to follow the train and we'll know where the Queen Dowager sent the poison and whom she plans to kill." Ramses supplied, placing his hand on his hip as Ankoku crotched down to get a better scent of the trail of wheat. He groaned at the sight of the miko being down on her knees in front of him and had to restrain himself from pulling over to him. He did not know how strong this current handmaid was and he did not wish to warrant a beating like the one he received from those Hattie twins when they caught him and Ankoku in a compromising position.

They followed after Ankoku when she suddenly rose to her feet and began to run in the direction of the trail, turning in some instances because the chilly wind had blew some of the wheats in random. Soon they saw a wagon that was spilling out wheat in a slow, but constant rate. They wondered where it was going until the miko youkai's sharp eyes caught sight of the insignia embroidered into the rug draped over the parcels.

"That's the Gal Meshedi insignia!" Ankoku growled. 'That bitch really is planning on killing Kail!'

"Wait!" Kagome said.

Ramses spoke at the same time as the priestess did within Ankoku's mind. "The wagon isn't heading for the Prince's palace.

The miko demoness looked around and confirmed that what the Egyptian was saying was true. This was not the path of Kail's palace. In fact, her prince was not even home at the time, he was still at Güzel's palace. She scanned the area for signs of where the poisoned wine could be going and her eyes widened as the spotted the familiar large building up ahead. "The King's palace!"

Ursula gasped and clasped her hands together when Ramses said something that in every age and land the favorite target of assassin is always the same. "You don't mean..." she paused as she covered her mouth with her fingertips. "His Majesty? Oh why did this have to happen while Prince Kail was away?"

"That's it!" Kagome cried out, her eyes dark with hatred as she conversed with Ankoku from their mental link. "Nakia's controlling Güzel to distract Kail with this fabricated story about him fathering a child with her."

"But it still doesn't make sense for her to..." Ankoku jolted. "That fucking bitch! She's planning on blaming Kail for the poisoning of the King because that wagon bears the insignia of the Gal Meshedi."

Ramses narrowed his eyes as he watched the miko's irises flicker between blue and orange as she conversed with herself. "The Queen really is a sly old vixen, isn't she? If the Tarbana drinks the wine and dies, people will think that Prince Kail is the culprit."

"That's a nasty trick..." Ursula said, her dark eyes wide with shock as sweat rolled down her face with anxiety. "Would she really do such a-"

Ankoku cut her off with a harsh answer. "Yes. That;s just such a thing that bitch would do." She grit her teeth, fangs threatening to pierce her bottom lip. "Come! We don't have time to lose. I need to stop her plans. I will go to the King's palace and stop the assassination attempt myself." She cut her eyes to the handmaid. "Ursula, go inform Ilbani about this." Glancing over her shoulder at the handsome Egyptian, she purred out, "Ramses, be kind enough to go warn Kail for me. He is most likely still at Chairman Aygil's palace."

Ramses smirked as he said. "Not I." He moved in closer to the miko demoness, his voice dipping in octave. "This is no concern of mine." His fingers curled around her chin to tip her face up to his. "However, if the Prince's concubine were to give me a kiss, I'd certainly consider it." His eyes twinkled when Ankoku gave him a devilish smile as her hands reached up to grab his cloak. But he was surprised when another set of hands snatched him away from the dark-haired beauty and another pair of lips pressed against his.

Ursula pulled away with a frown pulled at her lips as she rubbed them vigorously. "You impudent swine!" she cursed at the Egyptian. "How dare you ask Princess Kagome for a kiss?! Be grateful that I kissed you even though I'm engaged to Kash." she huffed when he questioned her fiance and kicked him in the back. "Yes! Now go tell Prince Kail this news right now!"

The Egyptian held up two fingers in a goodbye symbol. "I'm not at all satisfied with that reward, but I'll do it for now." He narrowed his eyes seductively at Ankoku before winking at her. "I'll have Kagome's kiss another time."

"Why is Ishtar here by herself. That's usual." the guards questioned when they spotted the miko walking up the path that lead to the palace gates.

Ankoku approached the guards eyeing them carefully before signing. Neither of them suited her tastes. She rolled her eyes when Kagome yelled at her to stop checking them out and stick with the plan to stop the assassination. "A wagon arrived here a short while ago. Where is it now?"

The guard pointed to the stairs that lead down to the palace kitchens. "Do you mean the gifts from the Crown Prince? They were sent to the King's kitchen."

"Thank you." the miko demoness said as she turned on her heels. She silently cursed for being too late to intercept the package because now she could do take it back. Her golden-orange eyes widened a bit when she spotted the golden hair of the youngest Prince and son of her most hated enemy, Juda. Ankoku stopped just short of the young man, placed her glamour spell on and spoke, "Juda-kun, what are you doing here?"

Juda blushed when the voice of the priestess reached him. He turned around at the sound. "Princess Kagome?" he saw as he took in the miko. She looked different somehow, but he could not place his finger on it. "I saw a wagon marked with Brother Kail's insignia." He pointed in the direction that the wagon went, a small trail of wheat scattered on the ground. "But it looked like a wagon my Mother was having loaded this morning at our at our palace."

"Prince Juda may be willing to help us. He loves all his brothers dearly." Kagome supplied through the link.

Ankoku nodded as she walked closer to the young Prince. "Listen closely, Juda-kun." She told him of his mother's plans, watching his expression change from docile to frantic as he gasped.

"My Mother did that?" he questioned as his hand came up to rest under his chin in a expression of panic. He sighed when the miko apologized for telling him and lifted his hand to stop her. "I understand Princess Kagome. I know what she is capable of." His bright sky-blue eyes hardened in a determined gleam. "Let's go. We can't let my brother drink that wine!" He grabbed Ankoku's hand and pulled her down the path that went to the kitchen. Juda pushed open the door of the room where only the King's food was stored.

A servant peered into a red jug that held a whitish-clear liquid. "This must be an excellent wine."

"Of course." another agreed. "It's a gift from Prince Kail." A sneaky gleam entered his light colored eyes as a chucked left his mouth. "Maybe we should have a little taste? No one will ever know."

They reached for the serving bowls and poured them a sample of the wine and just as they were about to take a sip, Ankoku yelled out, "Halt! Just what do you think you are doing!"

As Ursula carried out her part of the plan, Ramses had reached Kail just as he had loaded onto his chariot. Pulling the reins of his horse, he urged the beast to stop. The stallion reared up on its hind legs from being startled as Ramses said, "Your Highness." He resisted the urge to roll his eyes when Kail's ever faithful servant Kikkuri scolded him for daring to speak to a Prince from the back of a horse. "Forgive me, but my message is urgent." He leaned in closer to the Hittite Prince and said, "You don't want to murder the King, do you? That seems to be the Queen Dowager's scheme."

"How did you come to know this?" Kail questioned carefully.

"Your concubine's maid, Ursula, discovered the plot at the Queen's palace."

The Prince narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "How did she make such a discovery?" He shook his head when Kikkuri asked if he thought Ursula was lying. "No. More likely, she saw what the Queen wanted her to see." He bit his lip as he threw his long decorative cloak off his shoulder. :Kikkuri, unhitch the horse. I'm going to the King's palace!" 'She's trying to kill the King! I'll wager Nakia invented the story about my child to draw me from my brother's side. But there must be more to this plot!' He grit his teeth and as jumped from the chariot to the back of the peach-colored horse. 'Kagome, I'm coming! Please don't do anything rash!'

A pot fell and crashed into the jug holding the wine, causing the men to drop their bowls in panic. They looked up from where the clay fell from and saw Ishtar and Prince Juda standing over up on the stairwell.

Ankoku laughed as she turned to scold Juda. "I told you not to play over here, Prince Juda, They could have been hurt."

Juda bowed his head in mock shame and turned to apologize to the men below. "I am sorry. I accidentally knocked t off! I hope no one was hurt."

The servant quickly fell into a low bow as Ankoku descended the stairs. They cried out that it was such an honor to serve her and that they were happy that Ishtar had decided to bless them with her presence. Ankoku smiled charmingly at the men and motioned for them to rise out of their bows when something caught her eye. A rat had crawled out of his hole and went over to the split wine, taking a sip. The rodent began to let out a loud cry as it began to die a slow and painful death from the toxins in the wine.

She bumped her hip into Juda, causing him to knock over a nearby water jug. "Prince Juda, are you okay?" She cried as she righted him before trying to catch the falling jug and failing. "Oh no." she whimpered as water flooded the floor of the kitchen. "I'm so sorry. It made a mess of the floor. I'll help you clean it up." Ankoku offered, knowing that they would deny her aid.

"It could have been worse. Thank Teshub this happened after we took the wine to his Majesty." the kitchen servant said happily. "We put it in a decanter and delivered it to his private chamber."

Ankoku growled as her eyes flashed red with her anger. "Why didn't you tell me that before?!"

"Would your Majesty like some wine before dinner?" a maid offered as she brought the tray carrying the decanter and decorative goblet. "It was a gift from the Crown Prince."

The Tarbana perked up at the title, a small, happy smile curling at his lips. "From Kail? In that case, I'll have a cup." He nodded when the maid asked if he would like the wine now. "Yes. And then you may retire for the night."

"Good night, Your Majesty." the maids said after pouring the wine and bowing to the King.

Arnuwanda walked over and picked the decorative cup up, lifting it to his face and taking in the scent of the clearish-white wine. "It smells nice." As he lifted the goblet to his lips to take a sip, the loud banging of his door being forced open caused his to jump and dropping the cup. It shattered upon contact with the stone floor and he looked down in disappointment before turning to greet the two who entered his room. "Kagome, Juda...What's wrong? You're out of breath."

"We made it!" Kagome cheered.

Ankoku rolled her eyes before quickly coming up with a lie. "My liege, I've come to properly bless your reign as the King of the Hittites." She knelt down on one knee and grab the end of his robe between her fingers. The miko brought the silky material to her lips and whispered. "In the name of Ishtar, Goddess of War and Beauty, I bless Emperor Arnuwanda II's reign over the Hittites. May his reign be long and prosperous."

The Tarbana smiled sadly as he said. "You should save that blessing for my Brother, Kail." His dark brown eyes shined wetly as he spoke fondly of his beloved younger brother. "I'm only able to rule because of his help. But Kail has no one to help him. Maybe he needs no help with affairs of state. But even he needs someone to tend to his heart." He chuckled softly. "His future wife will have a great responsibility. That's why, I've been recommending that he keep as many women as he can." He glanced over at the priestess sadly when she let out a small outburst. "Could you endure the burdens a King's wife must bear alone?"

Arnuwanda lifted his hand to stop her speech when she opened her mouth. "It's alright. No woman could handle such a responsibility by herself. Kal is a great man. You will suffer much if you try to be his equal." He smiled down at the young woman, noting the way her dark blue eyes seemed to shine in a similar manner to Kail's whenever he spoke to him. "Oh, I have a gift for you. It's a statue of Ishtar from Assyria. You are the one who should have it." He turned and opened a nearby door. "Wait for me here. I think it's in this room."

Ankoku waited uncomfortably for the Tarbana to return when something set her senses off. There was a gathering of darkness collecting in the room where the King had entered. 'Why is darkness in the room where Arnuwanda-sama entered." A familiar sweet scent fluttered through the air. 'Shit! Urhi is in there with the King!' She rushed over to the room with Juda following behind her. Just as she got to the doorway, she spotted a flash of golden hair. "Urhi!" she hissed.

Urhi flashed the miko youkai a smirk as he rushed over to the King, who had turned around at the sound of Ankoku's voice, and quickly stabbed him through the heart with a small dagger.

"Fuck!" Ankoku cried when the King let out a shuddering breath as he fell against her body, staining her robe with his blood. She quickly placed her fingers against his neck, trying to find a pulse and cursed again when she found none. Her attention was drawn behind her when a maid suddenly threw open the door.

"Your Majesty! What happened?! I heard a scream!" The maid's eyes widened with shock and panic at what she saw. Her mouth opened and she let out a bloodcurdling scream. "Someone help! Please!"

"Dammit!" Kagome cursed. "This was Nakia's plan all along! She wanted me to look like the King's murder!"

I bet you weren't expecting me to update again so soon! Thank you all for the words of encouragement! I can't thank you all enough and I really hope that you continue to read and enjoy this story. It's becoming a favorite of mine and I strive to finish it!

Until next time!

~Kirei Ai Tenshi

~Special Thanks~

HeartlessVampireGirl: It makes me so happy to see my readers enjoying my story so much! Thanks for being so patient with me!

Tapionwarrior: And here's the third time this year Ishtar has blessed you all! And as you can see Kagome did fall for the trap, but she knows who really killed the King unlike with what happened with Yuuri.

KuroKat013: Sorry for the confusion. I've decided to put the lemony content here on FFn and also and AFF. The story should be up on there now

Angel4EverLostInLife: You asked and I delivered! Here's that chapter you've been waiting on!

Pixiecropse: That makes me happy that you love my story so much! Thank you so much!

Arkytor's Song: I hope you love this one as much as the last!

Kaskashixangel: I've updated again! That makes three times this year! I'm on a role! I apologize for making Kagome seem childish, but she did handle it somewhat more maturely that Yuuri did. But Kagome is deeply in love, wouldn't you be emotional and bit childish if someone was spreading rumor that your man belonged to them and pretending to be you? I know I would have!

NightShade Arscelin: I'm trying to update quicker. I hate being on Hiatus for so long, but I am still trying to get back into the groove of writing since the passing of my number one supporter last year.

Cloudless midnight: That makes me so happy to read your review!

AizFutura: No, this story is far from being completed. I have not and will not abandon my work.

Yama no Yoshi: I hope I don't come off as rude, but I do have a life other than writing this story. I am a junior in college as a Pre-Vet Medical student, I work at a clinic near my school as an intern, and I have other priorities. So please try to be more patient with me as update can and will be spontaneous as I write whenever I can get the chance. I am happy that you enjoy my story and would like for more chapters, just try not to rush me cause that tends to make me want to wait even longer since I no longer have my best supporter of my work here in this earthly world with me to motivate me.