The Monsters

Queen Kikyo let out a heavy sigh when she heard commotion from her new family's guards early in the morning. It seemed that Naraku's youngest daughter had not only escaped from the castle again, but had actually managed to get out of a prison cell. The queen had enough on her plate already when it came to taking on the task of making sure the castle was prepared for Sesshoumaru's visit and now she'd be treated to a morning of her husband's insane rantings as the whole kingdom would now need to be searched for the girl. Kikyo prepared herself for having to pass on the message, but as luck would have it she passed by Kagome's room where the door was cracked open and found the girl in her bed with beady eyes letting out groans of pain.

"Kagome?" Kikyo asked quietly still outside of the door before calling to her guard, "call off the search. She's here. I'll deal with it so continue with your usual tasks."

Kagome hadn't gotten much sleep having woke up immediately when she recognized her soft lavender bed sheets. She'd woke up in her own bed in her own home? How was that possible? If she had been brought back home why wasn't she immediately escorted back into the dungeon cell? Had her father shown her mercy? That she very much doubted.

However, it was becoming difficult to speculate as Kagome still felt quite drunk not having time to sleep it off. Her gut was twisted in all sorts of knots as vile wanted to come up through her throat only be stopped by her sheer force of will. The room was still spinning when Kikyo had entered.

"Sorry my queen," Kagome slurred her words, "I can't bow because the floor is moving. Can you see it move Kikyo? The wood on the floor was always squares right? Right Kikyo?"

Kikyo looked at the floor able to tell exactly what Kagome had been up to with the heavy stench of alcohol in the air, "Yes Kagome. Your floor has perfectly aligned wooden squares."

"Kikyo," Kagome cried fighting the urge to throw up, "I think I'm drunk."

"Yes princess you are," Kikyo shook her head with a smile on her face, "but as long as you're home that's all that matters. I'll have some bread and water fetched for you. Once you have something in your belly to suck all that up you'll be much better. Your father told me you haven't been eating."

"Father can mind his own business. Tell him he's got arms and doesn't need stupid demon tentacles. You can't hold a quill with a tentacle and write things. He's stupid. He'll never be able to write again if he doesn't use his arms. Tell him that Kikyo. A king needs his arms."

Kikyo released a chuckle in response to Kagome's incoherent ramblings before rubbing the back of the girl's head, "I'll be sure to tell him that. Just remember even though you're a bit under the weather he is still your king. You can't just freely call him stupid in the company of others."

"Why are you going to tell on me? Don't do that Kikyo. He's stupid and mean, and then there's my mother. Always staring at me. She isn't moving like everything else. Stop staring at me mom!"

Kikyo looked up and saw that the portrait of Kagome's mother, Naraku's sixth queen, was hung up in her daughter's room. Kagome's mother looked a lot like her daughter in the face, but everything else was different. Her hair was wild covering most of her face going all the way down to her waist and she had the most striking emerald eyes. The radiance in those eyes weren't an amblishment made by the artist as they were a sign of powerful magic in that woman's blood.

"Her eyes are green and my father's are red," Kagome said as though she'd come up with some great discovery, "that means one of them isn't my parent and I don't have to do what father says no more."

Kikyo shook her head, "Your father was human once. You have his human eyes. That is all Kagome. I don't know what Onigumo, the name he went by in his first life, looked like but he told me all of his children have one trait from his human half. For you it's his eyes."

That was right, Kagome's father wasn't a half-demon the same way InuYasha was. He wasn't born between a demon and a human for he'd once just been a bandit that made a deal with a thousand demons. He wanted the power to claim a whole kingdom for himself and eventually through dark means he achieved his wish. Naraku wasn't known as a cruel man just because he used and abused his own children. He was a cruel man because he had to kill a lot of people and absorb a lot of demons to get to where he was now.

"Wonder if she'd let him treat me this way. Probably since you have to let him hurt me to, but that's fine. Kikyo did you make that cake? Was it you? That cake was so good."

"Cake?" Kikyo's eyes began to narrow as she removed herself from the bed to cease comforting the drunk, "I don't know what you're talking about Kagome. After you eat your breakfast you're getting a cold bath. That will bring you back to the world of the living. Today's the day. Sesshoumaru's ship came into port last night. I'm sure he is eager to meet his bride to be."

"Silly," Kagome managed to laugh, "that's not Sesshoumaru's ship. That's the nice rich guy's ship. He gave me money, but I paid him back so we're okay now. I don't owe him nothing."

The last thing Kagome remembered was giving five gold coins to the generous yet sleazy man so he didn't have an excuse to try and sleep with her. If there was a ship still out there in port it meant the man was still in the city somewhere. Kagome just had to get sober and find that man and try again to convince him to take her with him away from the kingdom. That was her plan for the day not meeting Sesshoumaru. She didn't even want that man to know what she looked like. It would make fleeing from him so much easier.

"Nice man's ship? Princess what were you doing last night? You know what never mind. The less I know the less your father will hear about and that's what's best for all of us. I'll go tell him you're here and getting ready. Remember what I said, eat as much bread as you can. It will really help you."

Kagome closed her eyes as a memory came back to her in a hazy alcohol filled fog.

"Eat this Kagome please!" Kikyo's voice begged her, "it's good for you. It will help you."

A very young Kagome who was terrified by the feeling of warm blood trickling down her back closed her eyes, "no. Sweets won't help. Please tell daddy to stop hurting me please. Lady Kikyo please! I don't wanna die."

"You won't die," she said one thing about the urgency in her voice said another, "Kagome just eat please. Do it and he'll never touch you like this again. Even if I have to stand between you two and die myself he won't. I won't let him hurt you anymore."

Her voice got weaker, "You promise?"

"On my life."

It couldn't have really been Kikyo could it? No. That stuff had happened so long ago way before Naraku brought that woman home and introduced her as his latest wife. Kikyo was just a commoner and a foreigner at that before becoming queen, so in Kagome's drunken logic it made no sense that Kikyo would have been there for all of that. Whoever had been there though kept their promise, because after that day her father never laid a hand on her again or showed much interest in her at all until the last family dinner when everything had gone to hell.

"Why did father always hurt me?" Kagome asked to herself sadly, "why is he hurting me now? What did I do to him?"

"We'll speak later Kagome when you're better," Kikyo took her leave sounding quite distant now that she was being confronted with Kagome's once repressed memories, "bread, water, bath. After that you'll be prepared for what is expected of you. Please don't try to runaway again. I assure you like that you won't make it very far."

If anyone had expected that conversation to happen in private they'd been mistaken. Naraku watched the whole thing through his daughter Kanna's mirror. The pale girl that looked like a mere child kneeled before him holding an enchanted looking glass that allowed him to surveille most rooms in the castle, especially the ones his children occupied incase they were plotting anything, and more importantly any room Kikyo had business in.

"That is enough Kanna," Naraku sat in his bed dressed down in silks looking bored, "be gone and go elsewhere. Make yourself useful for once. If it weren't for your control over that mirror you'd be nothing at all. Just a worthless void I'm forced to call my child."

Kanna had no reply or reaction at all as she swiftly took her leave to comply with her father's wishes. Once alone Naraku narrowed his eyes and reflected on what he just saw unfold.

"I might be a monster," he mused, "but they must see what I've built and what they've gotten from it. This world was built by monsters and I will not be made to feel guilty for what I've done or what I've had to do to Kagome. My means at least justified the end. The most of vile of creatures is that one. Kikyo. You're the true monster, and one day they'll all see you for what you truly are."

Unfortunately Naraku would never warn any of them, nor would he do anything to stop the dark abyss that would would one day claim them all.

"Kagome you are the stupid fool," he commented, "I promised you everything you can't even marry that demon for me without putting up a fight. It's just a simple loveless arranged marriage. Is anyone to pity you? I've done it eight times, and never once for love."

There had only been one woman he ever loved, and that was Kikyo. It did not matter that he was married to her for their marriage was nothing more than a business transaction. She slept under the same roof as him and sat beside his throne, but he did not have his heart. It was the one thing he wanted but couldn't seem to claim it no matter what he did for her or the sacrifices he had to make. The further along they went in their partnership the more he found himself questioning if she even had a heart to give.

Kikyo had acted one way in public, always seeming submissive to her much more powerful husband, but when alone things were different. She showed that when she entered his bedroom with a cold expression on her face.

"She escaped her prison and returned to her own bed," Kikyo informed him, "nothing will interfere with today."

"Of course she escaped," Naraku grumbled, "am I to be shocked or surprised?"

Kikyo seemed perplexed by his reaction, "Yes. Are your castle's defenses that weak a mere untrained girl can escape from one of your locked cells with guards all around?"

"Should I chain her up next time?" he rolled his eyes, "I told you when you asked me to put her there it wouldn't work. That girl always has a way of getting what she needs when she needs it. Could be that blood in her. Her mother's race needed that kind of luck to elude their enemies and escape through the cracks of society. Why do you think I never bothered keeping her confined to the castle? There was no point."

"If those disgusting first borns had any inherent luck they'd still be alive wouldn't they? Her luck will run out eventually."

"And if we had any we wouldn't have had to give up on trying to extract her magic. Has it occured to you that perhaps we were mistaken? What if Kagome's blood is just too impure? Could the magic she inherited been some kind of purification that eradicated demonic energy? She is more of Onigumo's child than my own. Perhaps she's just human and Sesshoumaru is about to get sold some rotten goods."

"Onigumo's child?" Kikyo chuckled as though his words were ridiculous, "her? Does she look like a bandit to you? Has she ever stolen anything from you? That foolish girl is incapable of deception."

Naraku might have abused Kagome and treated her like his property, but there was one mistake he would not make and that was underestimating her. The one he was beginning to underestimate was Kikyo for making such a grave error. If that was the woman's downfall than it would get a chuckle out of Naraku even if meant losing the woman he yearned for.

"I do recall breaking out of many prison cells in that life," Naraku actually showed a prideful smile, "so perhaps my theory isn't too out of line. She has those brown eyes after all. They might be all doe eyed and full of wonder now, but she is still just a mere sheltered child."

Kikyo's voice grew colder, "A child you almost killed twice because you didn't know what you were doing. Your senseless bloodletting could have cost us everything. She's worthless to us dead and that's why you're not in control of this anymore. I'll handle it."

"Because you've been handling it so well Kikyo? Tell me how much further have we progressed since I've left her alone? How much closer are we to obtaining her powers? When we started this you told me your one true god would show us the path to greatness and true immortality, but yet your pitiful god won't even tell what we're supposed to do. I have to stoop to lending her out to the dogs to learn the answer. That's how far you've gotten us Kikyo."

"Watch your tongue!" Kikyo shouted at the king with eyes full of anger as her faith was being insulted, "that god you mock is the one true. If it were not true I would have died centuries ago. I have made my standing in this clear. God does not give us a map or all the answers just instructions that need to be followed. Sesshoumaru and his mother will indeed get to enjoy Kagome's magic thanks to your generosity, but only briefly before the magic turns on him and ends that miserable line. Your only competition will be wiped off the board and you'll be the most powerful king in the known world. After that the path will become clear. My god will reign supreme in heaven while you'll reign supreme in the world of living. Is that not what you want?"

"All I wanted was you," Naraku thought to himself before nodding, "if we can kill Sesshoumaru then at least I can go to bed every night knowing something was achieved in this mess. I don't need to be the most powerful if all my enemies are in the dirt."

"Sesshoumaru will die. That is certain. All I needed was this."

Kikyo revealed a piece of Kagome's hair that she'd pulled when she was seemingly comforting the drunk girl.

"Her hair and not blood?"

"God made it clear I just needed a piece of her. This will be enough for the ritual. I'll conduct it tonight and show you god's true power."

"Exciting, but what of my other enemies? Sesshoumaru is not the only one I fear. I've always known my children would one day turn on me, and I can feel that day coming near. My baby spiders want to feast on the head of their father."

"That is just the demon's in your head," Kikyo dismissed his fears, "your children are nothing more than spoiled brats just like any other king's children are."

Kikyo was in total control of her and Naraku's relationship and took no issue with berating him for questioning their life's work because she saw him for what he really was. His children were mistaken in thinking he was some powerful king that sat on his throne controlling the people with fear, because in reality Naraku was a paranoid creature that hid in his bedroom all day expecting important matters to either come to him or to be handled by Kikyo. The only reason Kikyo married Naraku when there wasn't anymore optimal matches for him was because if she were going to be spending most of her time ruling his kingdom in his stead she might as well have an official title.

"Remind me again Kikyo why we have to use Kagome?" Naraku asked clearly wanting to lead the conversation to a place in his favor, "you were using her mother before and when she died you could have had your pick of any other first born, but instead you had me kill them all. Why go for one with such a muddled bloodline when you could have had something more pure."

"God was quite clear with his prophecy Naraku. The last born of the first born will lead even slaves to the promised land. We had to kill them all to bring about the new world for your reign."

"What if you're interpreting it wrong? If there were a favorable prophecy about my daughter perhaps it is fate telling me what I need to do to secure what I already have. I kill all those demon blooded corrupt children of mine and leave Kagome standing. My last born child being my heir and the only one that will remain."

Naraku saw that Kikyo was none too pleased with him twisting around her god's prophecies to suit his needs. He went silent when he saw malice in her eyes. He'd known Kikyo for a very long time and learned from past experiences that if they were to fight he would lose. As fun as it was to get in his digs and own theories when the moment presented itself Naraku knew not to inch too far over the line. They'd save the rest of their conversation for when it was time to do the ritual, but for now they had to deal with their honored guest.

"No no no no cold cold cold cold!" Kagome shouted as though she were in pain when Sango quickly lowered Kagome in a bath of ice cold water before dumping an additional bucket on her.

Her drunken mannerisms such as constantly swaying and being on the verge of vomiting was replaced with shivering as the girl was put into a frozen shock. It seemed Kikyo had been right. Eating something and freezing half to death brought her right back to reality, but that didn't mean she felt good.

"Sorry," Sango didn't sound too apologetic as she put the bucket down, "we'll get you dried and into warm clothes soon. It's the queen's orders I have to be obey."

"I just wanna curl up in bed and die," the girl pouted trying to get use to the cold so she could quickly scrub dirt off of her body and be done, "or at least just take a nap. I can do that right? Get my head straight?"

Sango shook her head, "You're not the only one who is tired Kagome. Some of us had to wake up before the sun rose to put your drunk self to bed. If I can get through it to fulfill my duties so can you."

Kagome tried to ignore the cold by thinking of what her next move could be. There would be no putting off meeting Sesshoumaru, because if last night had taught her anything it was that her luck was a fickle thing and she'd have almost no chance of escape when everyone in the castle was awake and keeping their eyes on her. Would she have enough time to get back to the man from last night and try to request his help again? He seemed amused by her antics and impressed she paid him back, so maybe there was a chance he'd be fond enough of her to do her a favor.

"Is that really Sesshoumaru's ship?" she asked out loud, "he'd have to come by ship right? The ocean is all that separates us from the dogs."

"It must be for he came in last night," Sango informed her now helping to scrub her off, "apparently it's one of the fastest ships in the world."

"I wonder if it got loaned to him. Either that or the man was a liar. Just some guy that looks rich and wanted to pick on me and get my hopes up. Maybe he lives in the Havensbrooke. Ugh I hope that's not true. I'm tired of lying men. You didn't see anyone else when you brought me into the castle?"

"Just InuYasha begging me to get you to bed. Looks like he still cares for you."

"Well I don't care for him," Kagome was ready to immediately shut down the conversation, "all of this is his fault. He told me our relationship became real, but if that was true he wouldn't have told Sesshoumaru anything about me."

"Sesshoumaru is a king just like your father. If he wants something he'll get it and unless his subject is an idiot they'll obey. You can't hold it against InuYasha forever."

"I think I'm justified. I'm being sold off to someone else because of him. We could have runaway or something if father was really against it. Anything would be better than this."

Sango made sure to quickly get Kagome into a warm towel not knowing how she'd manage to get the girl that was already so worked up into a proper gown with a tight corset.

"Kagome you're angry because these men are treating you like property aren't you? It's hard for a simple woman like me to understand what you're going through because I have a freedom you don't, but maybe this kind of thing is for girls like you. I don't mean that because you're a princess."

"What are you saying then Sango?" Kagome felt attacked as clung on to the fluffy towel for any measure of warmth it could give her.

"That sometimes a lot of people are treated the way they think they should be treated like a self-fulfilling prophecy You're kind of being entitled aren't you? You don't want to be married off and used, but at the same time you're always relying on a man to save you. First InuYasha and now this stranger you keep ranting about."

"So you're saying I should just take matters into my own hands? Flee without the help of anyone other than myself? Show them all I can take care of myself and don't need them?"

"No more running away. Naraku is our king you have to obey Kagome. I don't want to see you punished anymore. Seems my advice for you is too late. You should have been too careful and not so involved with that InuYasha."

Sango still seemed to be under the impression Kagome was being forced to do this because Naraku wanted to punish her for being so outright with her false freedom. Kagome now knew that was a lie. Her father just wasn't going to give her away without achieving something. Was it really because he expected her to kill Sesshoumaru? That couldn't happen. Even if she wanted to how could Kagome kill a demon? The more difficult matter was figuring out what to do with the information. She couldn't just tell Sesshoumaru and she couldn't just ignore her father. Maybe she could tell her siblings how paranoid their father was getting and they could talk him down, but she couldn't see that happening and it'd do no good to speak on it to anyone.

"It's time Kagome," Sango reminded the princess that she was out of time to both speculate and plan escape.

The girl was forced into her tight clothes, a grand gown of pale blue and yellow silks with matching slippers. As per usual for an event such as this one Kagome's hair was roughly combed through and forced into several braids that had to sit on top of her head. The worst part of being prepared to be viewed like a fine piece of meat was having to wear that silver and sapphire tiara upon her head showing her status as a princess. Kagome hadn't worn that damn thing since before her father's last marriage. Wearing a crown came with a lot of rules. It was already a nightmare trying to figure out when it was appropriate to wear it with formal dress and when it was not, and once it was worn etiquette had to be followed or you were a disgrace to your kingdom.

The princess was ushered right from her dressing room into the massive throne room with guards keeping their eyes on her the whole time as almost a warning that she had no options when it came to escaping. She'd be forced to meet Sesshoumaru and have a wedding date set in stone to seal her fate.

Naraku and Kikyo were brought in after her, and much to her dismay Kagome had no other choice than to bow for appearance sake, especially with that damn crown on her head.

Naraku was wearing his own gold crown as well finally dressed in fine gold silks to remind the people he was their sovereign now that he was being forced into public view. Kikyo was also in a beautiful gown, but had to uphold the rules of the crown not wearing her own to upstage Kagome. When not in private everyone had to play their role. Naraku had to act as though it were his kingdom and he called all the shots, Kikyo looked like a quiet obedient queen, and Kagome was expected to act like she wouldn't rather be anywhere else. At least that was what was expected of her. It didn't mean she'd do her part.

"Enjoy this moment of freedom," her father taunted her coldly sitting upon his throne with Kikyo at his side, "there will be two kings with their eyes on you now so if you think you can get away with anything you are severely mistaken. Do anything other than what is asked of you Kagome and you won't like the result."

"What are you and Sesshoumaru both going to torture me and cut me open together?" Kagome stared upon her father with hate in her eyes before bowing again, "I ask for your forgiveness my king. I did what I believed I had to do. I missed my warm bed."

"Did getting drunk like a laboring peasant make it any warmer for you Kagome? Be silent and take your place. I'll deal with your punishment later."

There were no thrones for prince and princesses in her father's hall. If there were there would be too many chairs. Kagome's place was standing before the king and queen with her back turned so she could be properly inspected by their visitor. Her place was right front and center, because this was no diplomatic event between two neighboring kingdoms. It was just a slave auction.

"King Sesshoumaru of the Winter Spiral," their visitor was announced as the doors opened for their honor guest.

When Kagome laid eyes on her soon to be husband for the first time she thought her eyes were playing trick on her. King Sesshoumaru was not someone who could be confused with someone else. Not with that appearance. For this he wore a fine white silk kimono with blood colored symbols on the sleeve and looked much more massive and intimidating than he probably was with a boa of white fur encasing his body. The crescent moon emblem upon his forehead and markings on his cheek and wrists were enough to show he was a noble born pure blooded demon, but for a moment she almost mistook him for the stranger from the night before. If she could visualize him without the demonic additions and snow white hair and only see his figure and the way he carried a katana on his hip she could see the similarities.

However, there was one factor in his appearance that let her know she was mistaken in her theory. The man from last night had brown eyes that showed almost a caring and playful nature, but this man, this Sesshoumaru had eyes of molten gold filled with coldness and hate focused solely on her. They were not the same and it let her know she was in trouble. The man looked like a monster to her and she was terrified.

(End Chapter)

AN: I apologize for a chapter mostly of exposition and explanation. I didn't want this to be The Marriage of Convenience (cause obviously it's an arranged marriage story totallllllllly different), but the chapter is all about monsters and wanted to make it clear what roles the monsters were in. To simplify it though if you're into Game of Thrones Kikyo is basically the red priestess to Naraku's Stannis, except he might not be the truest believer in the faith she is following.