A/N: I'll be doing an update every week for Halloween month- ah, October, as well as something Halloween-related for November's update. It'll be fun to see who can tell why I felt this series is Halloween-appropriate.

Memories Part One

Sheeta would have been thrown to the wall behind her if it weren't for the two large guards holding her in place. She gasped from the impact as a treasonous tear escaped her control.

The knight sneered in satisfaction as he slipped the cloaked magician a heavy pouch of gold. "Would you like to know the best part of this curse? You are physically unable to tell anyone about it either by voice or by the written word. You are hereby sentenced to an eternity of my pain," he purred, sounding happy for the first time in her memory.

Sheeta opened her mouth to protest against being punished in such a horrible way, but her father raised his hand dismissively.

"No excuses. Take her to her room and lock her in. I want her to be well rested for her wedding in the morning."

ooOoo

Chihiro's heart was beating wildly as she tried not to panic. She did her best to keep her pace steady and her expression calm even though she wanted to scream her agony as she made all haste to her husband's study. She rapped on the door twice before opening it just enough to slip her head through.

The baron looked up from his work, beaming as he saw her. "Chihiro! Please come in," he invited warmly.

Chihiro shut the door after herself before marching up to his desk. "Haku, do you remember the promise you made to me?" she asked point blank.

"Which one, dear?" he asked, standing up so that he could affectionately wrap his arms around her.

"About if I came down with child," she prodded, trying to silence the terrible dread in her heart.

He stopped short as an ecstatic smile overtook his earnest face. "Are you? Are we..?" he gestured at her belly, too excited to complete the question.

"We had an agreement," Chihiro reminded him, praying that he would keep his word. "You already have children from your first marriage, I don't mind doting on them, you don't need any from me."

"Would it really be so bad?" he pled with her, stepping close enough to rub her lower abdomen affectionately.

Chihiro pushed his hand away in a panic. "You know full well what happens to women in my family that get pregnant!"

"It was only your mother and grandmother," he reminded her, still smiling blissfully. "I have better doctors than either of them did, you'll be fine."

She stared at him, an ugly suspicion beginning to grow. "That wasn't really contraception tea, was it?" she asked him in a deadly tone.

"Darling, I only agreed to your demand because I didn't think I'd fall in love with you, and I do already have Asbel and Lastelle, but seeing the way you handle them just makes me wish-"

"You gave me your word," Chihiro snarled at him, cutting the baron off. "Is your word so cheap that you can break it without consequence?!"

"Do you really want to kill our child? An innocent life?!" he demanded while his eyes turned colder.

"What's the point in having a child and sentencing that child to an early death?! Just give the doctor your approval for the medicine! He won't let me have it without you!" Chihiro demanded in desperation.

He leaned in close and whispered in a rock-steady hiss. "I can't wait for you to eat your words when both you and the baby survive the birth."

ooOoo

Nausicaa glared at her half-brother. "So you're telling me that you're every bit the oath breaker our father was?"

Asbel glared at her coolly from his place behind the large desk. "I don't see how I'm an oath breaker, little sister. Everyone knows it's the burden of the nobility to be sealed in alliances in the form of marriage. You shouldn't complain; as a viscountess, you'll outrank me."

"I am speaking of when Mother talked to you about what to do with me when I came of age," Nausicaa stated without blinking. "She depended on your love so much, that you agreed to send me to a convent if Father died first."

A shudder ran through the young man, making him stare at his half-sister. "… I… don't know who told you something so ridiculous," he stated, busying himself with paperwork to avoid her eyes. "But I can guarantee you that Aunt Chihiro never extracted such a promise from me, and even if she did, I would have been too young to completely understand the ramifications of-"

"Mother made sure you understood she wouldn't survive the pregnancy. Father already told you she was being paranoid and superstitious, thinking that she'd live. Mother was crying when she told you I wouldn't mind being sent to a convent. Is any of this ringing a bell?" Nausicaa asked, never blinking as she glared at her half-brother.

Asbel stared at her, clearly afraid that she had known about the private conversation. "No more excuses!" he bellowed, refusing to answer the question. "The viscount already paid the bride price and I alerted all the guards to keep an eye on you, so stop acting like you know everything and get ready for your appointment with the dressmaker! You know what will happen if you don't cooperate."

"I die," she responded without missing a beat. "Just like if I obey. Mother would be so ashamed of the man you've become."

Not even a violent slap and lack of supper could make her take that back.

ooOoo

San was minding her own business with a book when her stepsister burst into the library.

"You'll never believe who just confessed their love to me!" Rize purred while strutting over to the older girl.

"Shock me," San ordered without any emotion as she turned a page, smiling a little at the artistry in a wolf sketch.

"Boruto, Lord Naruto's son. I'm sure you're familiar with him?" she smirked.

San didn't so much as lift her dark eyes from the page. "The young man I told you I fancied? The one you didn't care about last month?"

"That's the one. Sorry to say, Sister dear, but he finds you cold and untouchable," Rize tried again, twisting the knife as much as possible.

San only blinked without a single trace of sorrow. "I see. It's a good thing I didn't actually like him."

The sneer fell off Rize's face. "What?!"

Only then did San turn her eyes away from the book to look at the brat with emotionless eyes. "I didn't think you were trustworthy, so I named a random boy to see what you would do after you were so pushy to find out who had my heart. Since you have proven my suspicions correct, I now know to trust you with nothing."

Rize's rage was soon apparent. "Mother!" she wailed while running out of the library.

San wasn't even surprised that she was the one that got punished.

ooOoo

Lady Lily, the latest tribute of the Bastet Kingdom, was depressed. It was only her third month into the treaty marriage, but things weren't looking to improve with her human husband. She sighed, wishing that she had given that dark-furred warlock a second chance instead of worrying about how small his hut was. At least he did care about her and wanted to take care of her. She leaned against her chair, wishing that she hadn't been so picky about suitors. She'd been so certain she had more time and wouldn't be chosen anyway. It was a pity one couldn't bribe The Selection, but it would likely be the only thing to make Selection Year more chaotic than it already was.

A human maid knocked on the door before opening it. "You have a visitor, my lady. Fio Piccolo, daughter of Marquis Piccolo."

Lily opened one eye with annoyance. "Her disposition?" she asked flatly.

The maid coughed. "I'm afraid I'm not sure, my lady. Lady Fio prefers to avoid social gatherings of any kind."

Lily hummed and turned her attention back to the window. "Send her in."

The maid bowed before a young lady entered the room and approached to curtsy properly. Lily looked her over with one eye.

She wasn't a good judge of human beauty, but one didn't need to be to see how old her visitor's eyes seemed for a face so young.

"I hope you will accept my gift, Lady Lily," Fio greeted her politely while holding up a basket of flowers and preserves. "I tried to pick things you would appreciate."

"Leave it on the table and take a seat," the cat woman invited, holding back on saying more until the younger girl was comfortably situated. "I don't have much patience for foolishness, so please be to the point of what you want."

Fio smiled a thin smile that also seemed too old for her. "I'd like to know more about your homeland. Your culture, your beliefs, everything."

Lily blinked before looking over the girl more carefully. "You seem to have missed The Selection by a hair's breadth. You will be married and have children before the next Selection."

"One," Fio corrected sadly. "Women in my family die in the first childbirth. Despite the fact being very well-known, not a single suitor that marries into the family will consent to a convent to save the resulting daughter's life. Thanks to The Selection, each daughter in question is guaranteed a stepmother that prioritizes her own children over my bloodline, no matter how young or vulnerable. You can imagine that has led to more than one broken heart over the past century. I estimate that I only have three or four years left to live."

"That's monstrous!" Lily gasped. "Even if the physicians back home couldn't solve this, it would be an easy choice to let you be celibate! I'd rather take poison and be done with it!"

"I assure you that path and fleeing are blocked to me, and I hope that explains my fascination with your homeland," Fio admitted smoothly, though her eyes turned dark at being forced to admit it. "While I could technically read a book to get what I want, I don't have a full oath on how reliable any author on this side of The Divide would be. Also, I thought you would appreciate a companion that knows how to listen."

Lily's heart broke. She reached out with one furry hand, wishing that it had been so pleasant to clasp her husband's hand. "That would mean everything to me, my dear."

ooOoo

Naoko casually sipped wine at her engagement ball, her eyes distant as she gazed at the moon.

"You do realize this is only a temporary victory," Nanami informed her with her usual sneer as she approached from behind. "Duke Hasho even admitted to me that you're only the starter wife. After your baby kills you, I'll be the Duchess Yoshioka."

"Likely," Naoko responded, her eyes still distant. "Your rank and lesser dowry are the only reasons this isn't your engagement ball. If you hurry, you might convince the Duke to elope with you anyway. Striking me will only make things worse," she added blandly, not bothering to turn around to see that Nanami was raising her hand for a slap.

She growled like a tiger denied her prey. "Fine. I'll just take your daughter from you after you're gone. It won't take much to convince Hasho to let me convince her that I'm the only mother she ever had."

At that, Naoko actually laughed, harder and deeper than she ever had in her life. Nanami took a few steps back in shock, since the bloodline wasn't known for their sense of humor.

Naoko slowly turned to her rival with a long, almost wicked smile. "Isn't it a pity I won't be around to watch you fail so miserably? My gratitude for giving me something to cheer me up for my final year."

ooOoo

Haru looked around nervously. "You promise never to tell?" she whispered, drawing a curtain closed with one hand to ward off lip-readers.

Hiromi nodded eagerly while crossing her heart over her maid uniform. "I'll never tell a soul. What is it you fear more than marriage?"

Large brown eyes looked around nervously before her lips became softer still. "Being Selected."

Hiromi shuddered at the thought. "I don't blame you. I've been comforting myself for years that one of the perks of not having noble blood is avoiding The Selection. It could happen at any time in the right year without warning. It could even happen on the day you come of age!"

Haru nodded worriedly. "I'm just so scared I will be available for it. I really do think that marrying a Bastet is the only thing worse than marrying a man of this kingdom."

Hiromi shook her head in sympathy. "You should be safe, my lady. That's one of the reasons the nobility go into a marrying craze the year before, even if a girl isn't of age yet. I'm sure your father wouldn't allow it."

"You think?" Haru asked with a trembling lip.

"Absolutely. Oh drat; I'm running late!" Hiromi yelped as if just noticing the large clock in the lady's room. "I'll get beaten if I don't get to my next post! Don't worry my lady; you can count on me!" she declared happily before picking up her skirts and exiting the room with a loud slam of the door.

Haru's trembling lip soon turned into a cold, satisfied smile. "I'm certain I can." She took in a deep breath and sighed tiredly since she'd never enjoyed acting. Of its own accord, her hand reached into one pocket and extracted a strange narrow purse as wide as a bookmark from an unseen pocket. There were bumps inside the little purse, as if it only contained a wide but thin chain within.

The fifteen-year-old thoughtfully handled each ring individually, never forgetting that there was always a chance to be overheard if she let down her guard.

Her plan was a good one. Hiromi was too obvious, as was Nanami in their desires. Everything she could possibly do on her end to escape this torment was now complete, including keeping a trunk full of what she would want to take with her if she were to be Selected. All she needed now was for the Selection to happen after or during her coming of age, and then be chosen as Tribute. Her odds weren't great, but infinitely preferable to marrying into this or another kingdom's royal family, since the social climb had been steady and predictable over the past century of torment.

In ordinary circumstances, it would be baffling to be so interested in becoming a giant cat's wife and renounce everyone and everything you've known for another kingdom over a peace treaty, but there was a certain bonus to the arrangement that she'd had her eye on for longer than she had the ability to tell anyone.

Out of all the Selected marriages since the war two hundred years before, there hadn't been a single child born of Human and Bastet.