EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 97: Someone else's monster

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Rin was still holding Octavia's hand hostage as she led her through the gardens towards the makeshift plaza that had been erected earlier that day. Rin's eyes were instinctively drawn towards three figures who were standing beside one of the tables, stacking plates and beakers in preparation for the impending festivities. Kirara was balancing a tower of bowls atop her head, which Kohaku was taking one at a time and handing to Shippo, who then arranged them neatly on the tabletop. Rin couldn't help but admire how perfectly in sync the trio were.

Her wonder quickly transformed into guilt as she took in their dishevelled appearances and countless wounds that had yet to heal. The cloth patch covering the left side of Shippo's face was a grim reminder of what they'd endured during Tsunayoshi's brief yet terrible reign.

"Who–" Octavia whispered suddenly, "–is he?"

Rin's remorse faded as she followed Octavia's pointing finger to the object of her curiosity. "That's Kohaku," she said, smiling faintly. "He's Sango-sama's younger brother. You remember her, right? She was the lady with the boomerang. Her husband is the monk, Miroku-sama."

"No, I remember. I didn't know she had a brother." Octavia looked at Rin and wiggled her eyebrows brazenly. "Handsome fella, isn't he?"

"You think so?"

"You don't?"

Rin's cheeks warmed. She'd never really looked at him in that light before. In all her memories of him, he'd been a vaguely self-conscious boy who had yet to experience his first major growth spurt. Contrastingly, his current appearance was more in line with a man's, as evidenced by his newfound confidence and altered physique. He was also considerably taller than he had been three years ago, and his previously skinny torso had filled out rather nicely. Rin watched him lift a crate of sake bottles and swallowed when she saw the muscles in his forearms straining against his tight kimono sleeves.

"I guess he is kind of good-looking," she mumbled. "If you like that sort of thing."

For the record, she definitely didn't.

"Well?" Octavia probed. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

A smile tugged at Rin's lips. "Only if you promise not to flirt with him."

Octavia feigned offence. "I wouldn't dream of it! He's a bit too young for me, anyway."

"True. I forget you're only interested in the elderly."

"When have I ever expressed the desire to bone an elderly person?"

"I was talking about youkai, not actual old people."

"Oh, right. Yeah, that checks out, actually. They are hundreds of years old. My social workers would've gone nuts over that big of an age gap. Warren doesn't look so bad now, does he?"

"Who?"

Octavia scowled slightly. She looked like she was thinking about something incredibly unpleasant. "Never mind," she said in a tight voice. "Forget I said anything."

Under ordinary circumstances, Rin would have pushed for an answer, but Octavia had been so understanding about her pain that it didn't seem right to force her to relive hers.

She happened to catch Shippo's attention from across the plaza and gave him a hesitant wave. The kitsune beamed and leapt down from the table, knocking over a fruit crate as he bounded towards the spot where she and Octavia were standing. Kohaku bent to retrieve the fruit, but halted when he looked up and met Rin's woefully unprepared gaze. The rhythm of her pulse doubled when he smiled at her, then tripled as he rose to his feet and marched over to them with purposeful strides. What was happening? Was she ill? She had to be. It was the only reasonable explanation for her body's current shortcomings.

"How's your head?" she blurted out suddenly, redirecting her gaze to Kirara.

The nekomata was in her alternative form, as she often was once the danger had passed. She miaowed politely and rubbed herself against Rin's legs. Despite her cheery mood, there was a fairly sizeable lump on her head where Kohaku's kusarigama had struck her. Racked with guilt over the whole ordeal, Rin reached down and scooped her into her arms. The tiny nekomata purred as Rin scratched behind her ears, then snuggled into her chest happily.

"Who's your friend?" Shippo asked.

"This is Octavia-san," Rin replied. "She's a mage. A powerful one, too. She came here through the Bone-Eater's Well just like Kagome-onee did. Sesshoumaru-sama's warlock is helping her fine-tune her magic. Or was before everything that went down with Tsunayoshi."

"A mage, huh?" said Kohaku. "That's pretty cool. I've met others like you during my travels, but they were mostly dark wizards and sorcerers. The name's Kohaku, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you," answered Octavia. "I saw your sister a few months ago. Big biceps must run in the family."

He laughed.

Rin shot her a chastising look, but Octavia just responded with a wink.

"And I'm Shippo," the kitsune announced, puffing out his chest. "Also known as the youngest ever student to graduate from the Fox Demon Academy."

"I thought you were on sabbatical because you were struggling to complete the final task," Kohaku mumbled.

"It's not my fault that nine-tailed foxes are damned near impossible to find!"

Kirara lifted her head and miaowed in discontentment. Chuckling, Kohaku leaned closer and scratched beneath her chin. "Don't worry, girl. We haven't forgotten about you." He then looked at Octavia and said, "This is Kirara. I've known her since I was a baby. When we were little, my sister and I used to ride everywhere on her back."

Octavia peered at the tiny nekomata dubiously. "Both of you? At the same time?"

Kohaku and Kirara exchanged a knowing look. "You'll see," he said. "She may be small, but she has a very big personality."

Rin jolted when Kohaku lowered his hand and inadvertently grazed her elbow with his fingers. The touch sent a pulse of electricity shooting through her entire body, before eventually fizzling out.

"How did you get through the Bone-Eater's Well?" Shippo asked Octavia. "I thought only Kagome and Inuyasha could do that. And didn't it close for good after Kagome came back?"

"I don't really get it either," Octavia muttered. "I didn't know it was a portal. I thought I heard a voice coming from inside it, and when I went to investigate—"

"A voice?" interrupted Kohaku. "What kind of voice?"

Octavia's brow crinkled. "I'm not sure. It was more like an echo."

"What did it say?"

"It was only one word."

"What was the word?" enquired Shippo.

She hesitated before answering. "Come."

An unexpected shudder slithered down Rin's spine. She wasn't sure why, but there was something incredibly off-putting about the word being used in that context. Who had said it? And perhaps more importantly, why?

Kohaku frowned. "That's it? You didn't hear anything else?"

Octavia shook her head. "No, but it sounded . . . unfinished. Like there was more that I just couldn't hear. I don't know. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Is the well still open?" Shippo queried. "Or has it closed again?"

"It wasn't working when we left Musashi. I have no idea if it is now, though."

"What would you do if it was? Would you go back?"

Rin's stomach sank. She hadn't thought of that. If the well reopened, would Octavia return to her own world? Or would she want to stay? Rin desperately hoped for the latter.

Octavia seemed to be contemplating her answer carefully. A few moments later, she flashed the kitsune a sad smile and said, "Why would I? There's nothing left for me there."

Rin's heart leapt upon hearing those words. Unlike Kagome, Octavia had nothing tying her to the other world. She had no family to rush back to, and she seemed content to shirk any past responsibilities she might have had. This place was her home now, and despite everything, she had found herself a new family. Regardless of where she'd been born, she belonged with them.

Beaming, Rin shifted Kirara into the crook of her arm and clasped Octavia's hand tightly. The young woman glanced down at their joined hands, then locked eyes with her. The fading daylight made her lone purple iris sparkle like a jewel, and her smile slowly morphed into one of endearment.

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Once the final rays of sunlight had disappeared behind the mountains, people started coming out of the woodwork in pursuit of wine and other alcoholic beverages. It was a clear night, so the moon and stars were fully visible, much to everyone's delight.

Rin sat cross-legged on the grass, nursing a cup of ice-cold mugicha between her palms. Now that autumn was here for the long haul, the air had developed a slight chill that was a welcome reprieve from the lingering heat of the day. Letting her eyes slide closed, Rin lifted the cup to her lips and listened to the surrounding chatter as she drank.

"Never have I ever . . . kissed more than one person in the same twenty-four hours."

Octavia took a big swig of sake, making the others gasp scandalously. "What?" she laughed. "Where I come from, that's just your typical teenage house party. Besides, I'm pretty sure I remember Lord Susumu having a wife and a mistress, who he absolutely shares with said wife, so there. Not so weird now, is it?"

Rin was secretly glad that she'd insisted on watching as opposed to playing. It was a strange game, but she couldn't deny that it was oddly entertaining. Players took it in turns to present various scenarios, whilst the rest of the group had to respond by either drinking or not drinking depending on if they had done the thing in question. The aim of the game was to get as blackout drunk as possible. So far, Kannika was losing by a landslide. Seeing the demoness' clipped wings and missing fingers still made Rin's chest ache with sorrow, but she knew better than to let Kannika know that. The only thing worse than torture in her eyes was being pitied.

The scenarios grew more and more outrageous as the night progressed.

"Never have I ever pretended to be sick to get out of something."

"Never have I ever peed in the bathtub."

"Never have I ever engaged in role-play. The sexual kind."

Nagisa downed her drink in one. "Taro and I wanted to spice things up a little," she offered in explanation. "It was fun."

Rin noticed that Nagisa's eyes had turned glassy at the mention of her late husband, but she managed to remain relatively merry for the remainder of the game.

"My turn again," Octavia announced boisterously. "Never have I ever turned my underwear inside out so that I didn't have to wash it."

"Eww!" shrieked Kannika.

"Have you done that before?" Nagisa asked with a grimace.

Someone snorted loudly. "That's nothing. In my tribe, we don't believe in confining our beans to those annoying cloth harnesses you all love so much."

Rin stiffened. She knew that voice. Turning her head, her eyes took in the details of Koga's appearance. His entire upper torso was wrapped in bandages, and he was wearing a long navy haori to hide the welts and bruises on his arms. Theoretically, they should have healed ages ago, but he'd lost so much blood during the battle that his body's regenerative abilities were working more slowly than usual. He must have felt her staring because he suddenly made eye contact with her, causing her to flinch and look away.

Octavia, on the other hand, was positively delighted to see him awake and on the mend. She leapt to her feet and threw her arms around him, receiving a pained grunt in response. "Easy," he wheezed. "Some of us are still recovering."

Mortified, she pulled away. "Sorry! I didn't mean to . . . I'm just glad you're okay."

He grinned. "Don't sweat it. I'm glad, too. Dying back there would've sucked majorly."

Rin's chest burned as Octavia returned his hideous smile. Why was she always so nice to him? He was a cruel and nasty brute who massacred whole villages just for the hell of it. Why couldn't she see that? Did she even care?

Maybe she's in love, Rin thought, before recoiling violently. In love? With him? She couldn't be. She was way too good for the likes of him. She deserved someone who would treat her like a princess, not a den mother whose sole purpose was to help him build a new army of murderers. The idea of Octavia living out the rest of her days in a stinky old cave full of those awful beasts made her feel physically sick.

"It's good to see you again, kid," Koga said. "You're looking well."

Rin ignored his attempts at diplomacy.

"Jaken told me what you did to the bastard responsible for all this," he continued awkwardly, gesturing to the ruined gardens beyond the plaza. "Nice job."

She shot him a fierce glare. "Don't patronise me. I'm no longer that frightened little girl who trembled at your feet. I've learned a thing or two since then. Like how to protect myself. And if someone hurts me, or any of the people I care about, I kill them."

She saw his jaw tighten. Fortunately, he chose not to respond to her thinly veiled threat and resumed his conversation with Octavia. The young woman waited until he left to speak with Inuyasha and Kagome before shifting her focus back onto Rin.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

Rin nodded.

"Alone."

Sighing, Rin followed her out of the plaza and into the surrounding gardens. Once they were out of earshot, Octavia turned and flashed her a despairing look.

"What was all that about? He was complimenting you—"

"I don't want his compliments," Rin hissed.

"Then what do you want?"

"I want him to leave you alone!"

"What? Why?"

She laughed bitterly. "Why do you think! I've seen the way he looks at you. I know you have, too. Believe me, nothing good will come of it."

Octavia looked distraught. "I already told you it's not like that." Her eyes softened as she continued speaking. "I know he hurt you, Rin. I haven't forgotten that. And neither has he. I'm not asking you to be chummy with him, but he saved my life—"

"What about my life!" she yelled. "He stole it from me! If Sesshoumaru-sama hadn't been in the woods that day, I'd be dead!"

"Keep your voice down—"

"No! I won't let you talk me into keeping the stupid, fragile peace around here at the expense of my dignity! I can't just pretend it didn't happen because he did a few noble deeds here and there! He's the reason I died and needed the Tenseiga's help, and I will never, ever forgive him for it!"

Octavia opened her mouth to reply, but paused when something beyond Rin's shoulder captured her attention. Annoyed that her focus had wavered so quickly, Rin turned and nearly choked on her own tongue.

Lord Sesshoumaru's eyes gleamed in the darkness like two burning candlewicks, boring holes into her shocked face. How long had he been standing there? Had Octavia known that he was eavesdropping? Her wide-eyed expression implied that she was just as surprised as Rin.

"How much of that did you hear?" she whispered.

"Enough," he replied.

She bit her lip, unsure of what to say next.

Lord Sesshoumaru glided forwards like a wraith, then stopped in front of her, forcing her to raise her head in order to meet his gaze. "You have every right not to forgive that which has hurt you," he said, and her eyes widened in response to his words. "No one is forcing you to make peace with your tormentors. Only you can make that choice, Rin. However, it is both naive and foolish to deny that people can learn from their mistakes, and decide to change for the better."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "You mean like you did?"

He nodded.

"It's not the same," she argued.

"You're only saying that because you have been a witness to my more magnanimous nature, but what you fail to realise is that very few others have glimpsed that side of me." His pupils narrowed dangerously. "When we first met, I was an entirely different man – one you would not recognise if you happened upon him today. The truth is, I am to someone else what Koga is to you."

Rin's eyes started to tingle. She couldn't imagine anyone feeling that way about Lord Sesshoumaru, regardless of what horrors he'd inflicted upon them. He had been nothing but good to her, right from the moment they'd met all those years ago. To this day, the worst he'd ever done was snarl at her, and even that hadn't been motivated by cruelty. He'd never once harmed her, or raised his voice in anger, or made her feel like a burden.

But it hadn't been like that for Inuyasha. Lord Sesshoumaru was his sworn enemy, and rightfully so. After all, their relationship had been the antithesis of Rin's bond with her two brothers.

I am to someone else what Koga is to you.

Her nails dug into the meat of her palms as she balled her hands into tight fists.

"We're all someone's monster," Octavia said quietly.

Rin looked at her with tear-filled eyes. She shouldn't have spoken to her like that. She'd take it all back if she could, but it was too late for that. "I'm sorry, Octavia-san," she sniffed. "I was angry and scared, and I took it out on you. If you really want to be with him, I won't stand in your way."

Lord Sesshoumaru surprised them both by snorting.

Rin arched an eyebrow and shot him an expectant look.

"Don't be a fool," he said. "She is far too good for that flea-riddled wolf."

Rin was so taken aback by his nonchalant response that she couldn't help but laugh. "That's what I said!"

Octavia rolled her eyes. "You're both insufferable."

"You would know," Lord Sesshoumaru answered coolly, lips curving into an unmistakable smirk. "It must be a side-effect of your influence."

She flashed him a wry smile. "No, it's definitely you."

Rin's eyes flitted between them curiously. Was it just her, or were they behaving differently to how they used to? She didn't have long to mull it over, because they were already heading back towards the plaza, swathed in an intense but comfortable silence. Whilst they walked, Rin couldn't help but recall how quickly Lord Sesshoumaru had dismissed her concerns about the nature of Octavia's relationship with Koga. However, as strange as that had been, the strangest thing by far was that he had actually paid her a compliment by saying that Koga was unworthy of her affections. It was true, of course, but Rin was more surprised by the fact that Lord Sesshoumaru had actually made the admission out loud instead of keeping it to himself.

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