Hi minna-san! I'm back for chapter 7. I'd like to thank my reviewers: SweetSadJess, Lady Morn, loozer-09, lil-demon-nightmare, Sarah, and AnimeAngel0123. All of your reviews were great and make me feel so loved! *tee hee*  Well, usually I have tons of crap to rant on about but today I don't * millions of people yell joyfully in the background*

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the anime/manga "Inuyasha"; Rumiko Takashi does.

            "Here is His Majesty's room," said the Mythora palace guard as he handed back the golden token to Kagome.

            Just minutes before, she had tip-toed cautiously through the still murky barrack lots, ran full speed up the hill that lead to the palace, and was abruptly stopped by Kikyo –of all people- who had nothing important to say, but rage on about her (Kagome) and the things that tweaked her. Kagome angrily clenched her hands at the recollection of their conversation.

She had stumbled up the last few feet of the hill, panting at the effort it took to pull her body the entire way up. The sky above still glowed heavenly blue in the fast dissipating sunlight that seemed to shrink beyond the western horizon. To the east and just over the palace's highest towers, the sky was a strange hew of orange-purple that gave Kagome goose bumps. Quickly, Kagome scrambled the rest of the way up the hill to the outer wall gate. And there she stood: Kikyo. Kagome unconsciously ground her teeth and stomped indignantly the remainder of the way to Kikyo.

            "I heard a strange little thing, Kagome," she sneered and steped in Kagome's intended path of travel, "that you are visiting my brother, the king. Very strange he would call you. I do not believe you are of any worth to him or the army, but that later is not just my opinion; so you know. Perhaps he is lonely and needs some lowly girl like you to warm his bed for the night. He has not shared himself with anyone since our older brother Kyota found out about his mate and bastard child. But, then again, maybe he does not want you. He was quite fond of his woman, but Kyota had her killed. Then, through some weird incident, Kyota died, leaving Dion the thrown, a dead mate, and a daughter lost or dead. Funny, isn't it; my brother's misfortune?"

            "He's your brother," Kagome spat out. For some reason, she felt the odd sensation to protect King Dion's dignity. "You should not speak of him that way. I'm sure his summons has nothing to do with me bedding with him, but merely discussing military things."

            "You think so?" Kikyo snarled with such force that Kagome jumped back a bit. "You just know everything, don't you? I hate you, Kagome. From the first time I saw you at the Second Division Archery leadership tournament, I despised you. You are so good at archery and people actually respect you. But that is not why my hatred for you causes me to speak out now. It's just you in general. The way you look so much like me, your happy-go-lucky personality that seems to draw him in, everything. I wish you death and much more, Kagome!"

            When Kikyo finished her tirade, she was left gasping for air and glaring furiously at Kagome with her hard, amber eyes. Both women did not know what to say to the other. Kagome, for one, was not expecting Kikyo to say the things she did. Of course she knew Kikyo harbored ill feelings toward her, but the venom she put in her words made it clear the sentiments were far from ill.

            Finally, Kagome could take no more of the heavy silence that fell between them and tried to speak, but only a hoarse squeak came out. Making another attempt, Kagome succeeded, "I don't understand who he is, Kikyo. As far as I know, you have no one."

            "I have no one, do I?" Kikyo said in a low, slow voice. Immediately, Kagome realized how insulting her last sentence was, but felt no need to apologize for it.

            "This he, your poor mind cannot recall? You truly are stupid," Kikyo laughed shortly. "Inuyasha, you fool. I've tried very hard since I first met him to gain his affection. Instead, you come along, insulting him during your first meeting, and he falls head over heels for you."

            To Kagome, what Kikyo said stuck home and burrowed deep within the confines of her mind and made her think. Ever since their hasty departure earlier, Kagome had dwelled on his behavior towards her and how she felt about him. It was certain, she decided, that she had feelings for the hanyou prince, but was sure that Inuyasha did not return them. But then there was that kiss on the cheek…

            Kagome squinted her eyes at Kikyo, as she felt her anger rising. Kikyo wants my Inuyasha, he mind raged and used all her will power not to throw herself at Kikyo and mar the miko's perfect face.

            "Well," Kagome fanned herself with her hand nonchalantly, "I can't help it if His Royal Highness, Inuyasha would choose me over you. After all, "she tried her hardest to imitate Kikyo's voice, "I look so much like you, and I have a happy-go-lucky personality that seems to draw Inuyasha in, everything. I think I have you out-done, Kikyo!"

            "Why you bitch!" Kikyo screamed and dove and Kagome.


            Yes, that was an experience she would come to remember: Fighting Kikyo. Inuyasha would be so proud; Kagome sighed and received an odd look from the Mythora guard.

            When Kagome finally came out of her reverie, she noticed the guard stood before her expectantly with the King's chamber door wide open.

            "Oh! Thank you," she said and hurried in the door.

            Kagome found herself in a hallway lit with torches that took a sharp turn the right. Having nowhere else to go, Kagome followed the hallway until she came to a wide sitting chamber. At the far end of the room, a fireplace jutted out from the wall made of a navy blue marble. Gathered around it were chairs and couches of forest green velvet that had cloth hangings draped off the back of the Hathar Royal Family coat of arms.

            From a doorway on the left side of the room, a man emerged rubbing his rough hands together. Kagome recognized him as King Dion.

            "Excuse me, Your Highness, but you called for me," Kagome said.

            "Uh…" the King uttered, caught off guard. "Yes I did. Kagome, right?"

            "Yes, sir."

            "You can come in and sit down," Dion nervously gesticulated to the furniture around the fireplace.

            "Thank you, sir," Kagome bowed slightly at the waist and walked across the room to sit down.

            For many moments, Kagome and Dion sat in silence, twiddling their thumbs or some odd thing like that to take the focus off the quiet.

            "Are you accommodations to you liking?" Dion finally piped up.

            "Yes they are fine, thank you for asking," Kagome nodded her head.

            "Good, good…" Dion trailed off. "You can be more familiar with me, Kagome. I like for my army officials to feel they can trust me because, after all, you are leading this war for me. So, just in private, you may address me as Dion, but that's not why I called you here. I suppose I should just get to the point, eh? Tell me something about yourself, would you?"

            "Sure," she consented and started talking. "I'm from a small village about a four days journey from Neerot. I lived with Typha and her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild. Age seventeen, I was put into the single's housing because I had no mate. You know the tradition, I think?" Kagome asked while Dion nodded to show he understood. "Well, I saw your call to arms and came here, that's basically everything."

            "Is Typha your grandmother?" Dion inquired.

            "No," Kagome shook her head. "My mother and I had always been chased by men that wanted us, for reasons I don't know. When I was two, mamma stayed behind so that I might have a chance to live. She… Well, I'm assuming they killed her because I never saw her again."

            Dion grumbled something in response and knuckled his forehead. Shira was found and captured but not our daughter. She was unaccounted for, Dion thought and sprang up from his chair. Restlessly, he paced back and forth in front of the fireplace.

            "What was your mother's name?"

            "Shira," Kagome said.

            Within seconds, Dion was kneeling before Kagome, eyes wide and curious. He took both of her hands within his larger, calloused ones. "You are certain her name was Shira?"

            "Yes. But sir, why do you ask?" Kagome questioned while thinking that what Inuyasha said about Dion being a good guy was not quite on the mark.

            "My mate's name was Shira-"

            "Lady Kikyo told me everything," Kagome interrupted. "I'm sorry."

            "No!" Dion sunk onto the floor to sit. "Would I be hoping beyond hope that you are my child? Well, rather our child?"

            "I-I…"

            "How old are you?"

            "Seventeen this past July," Kagome whispered.

            "So was she, Kagome. And her name was Kagome as well," Dion sniffed in –what Kagome thought- was an attempt to keep tears at bay. "When I first saw you during the ball the other day, I noticed how much you resembled my family, but it was too much to wish that after all these years that you would be found."

            "What are you saying?" Kagome carefully asked.

            "Even though there is no way to be certain except by youkai ways, you might be my daughter. Everything fits. Your mother's name was Shira as was my mate's. The circumstances surround your separation fit with those surrounding my lover's death. You look very much like my family, especially my mother. To top it all off, you have the same name as my daughter. I think it's no coincidence. You are my daughter Kagome. You have to be," Dion finished desperately.

            "After all this time…" Kagome trailed off. "Papa?"

Well, there you have it! Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter, but I wanted to put this and Kagome and Inuyasha's date in two chapters instead of one butt long one. I have a major headache right now, so I'm gonna post this and take a nap on the futon downstairs.

Pwease review and thanks for reading this chapter. I'll get to work on chapter 8 when my head feels better!

-Happy Youkai