EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 7: Olive branch

.

.

"Clear your mind of all distractions."

"That's easier said than done with your hubby huffing and puffing over there."

Kagome opened her eyes and shot Inuyasha an icy look from across the field. He lowered the Tessaiga and whistled innocently. Satisfied, she turned back to Octavia – who was sitting facing her – and said, "Sorry. He likes to show off. Just pretend you can't see him."

"He'd be easier to ignore if he wasn't topless."

"He's not usually like this. He gets kinda . . . agitated when Sesshoumaru is around."

Octavia studied Inuyasha contemplatively. "Why him?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"What made you choose him? Was it the biceps?"

Kagome's face flushed. "N-No!" she stuttered. "He has lots of great qualities."

Octavia smiled. "I'm just messing with you. I didn't expect you to be so shy about it. How long have you two been married?"

"It's been three years. It still feels so new, though." She leaned closer and whispered, "I know people think it's weird that we don't have kids, but I don't think we're ready yet. We both have a lot of maturing to do. Plus, whenever someone brings it up, Inuyasha gets all freaked out."

"Why?"

"It's because of his childhood. He was orphaned at a very young age, you see, and his father died before he was even born. I think he's worried that he'll be a bad parent."

Octavia thought Kagome would be better having this conversation with him rather than with her, but she didn't say that. "It's hard growing up without anyone to teach you what's right and what's wrong," she said. "But it doesn't automatically make you a failure. I think he just needs to know that someone believes in him."

Kagome smiled tenderly. "I think so, too."

Oblivious, Inuyasha carried on peacocking.

Kagome cradled Octavia's hands in hers and closed her eyes again. "Concentrate only on me." Octavia could feel Kagome's reiki spilling out from her fingers. It flowed into her, gliding through her veins. She steadied her breathing and focused on guiding it through her body. "That's good," Kagome praised. "You're doing so well." The reiki spread down to her stomach, then her legs, and finally back up to her ribcage, where it settled on top of her heart. "And release."

Octavia didn't.

"Octavia-chan? Let it go."

Inuyasha appeared at her side. "What's happening?"

"I don't know. She just suddenly stopped responding."

Inuyasha snapped his fingers in front of Octavia's face. "Hey! Can you hear us?"

The voices were there but Octavia couldn't hear them properly. Kagome's reiki felt so nice. It was like a warm blanket. It was like sitting next to a radiator on a cold winter's morning. Until Inuyasha grabbed her by the shoulders and it changed.

Before he could shake some sense into her, a dark purple glow enveloped them both, locking Inuyasha in place. He yelped as the magic penetrated his skin and latched onto his youki. Kagome cried out in horror as he screamed in pain, and reached to separate them, but the light was like a forcefield, knocking her hand away roughly.

Sesshoumaru was watching from the treeline. He waited until Inuyasha was almost completely drained of youki before intervening. The eight-pointed star flared to life and cancelled out the forcefield. He grabbed Inuyasha by the arm and pulled him out of harm's way. Kagome rushed to his side. Octavia opened her eyes and saw Sesshoumaru looming over her like a giant. Her skin crackled with youki. Inuyasha's youki, he realised. Kagome's reiki was buried beneath it.

"Enough," he hissed. "Look at what you've done."

Her eyes slid to Inuyasha – whose flesh was pale and clammy – and expanded. The fog in her brain lifted and she felt disgusted with herself. She relinquished her hold on his youki and it scampered back to its owner. As soon as it reattached itself, Inuyasha broke out into a coughing fit. Kagome hugged him from behind once his breathing returned to normal and the colour rushed back into his cheeks. She looked like she was holding in tears.

"And the rest of it," Sesshoumaru commanded.

The eight-pointed star blazed on his wrist.

Octavia's shoulders slumped. She expelled the reiki and almost sobbed at the loss of warmth.

"What happened?" slurred Inuyasha.

Kagome gasped. "Your hands!"

His palms were both marked with matching star-shaped burns. They were much bigger than Sesshoumaru's. "What the hell?" he muttered.

Sesshoumaru fixed his molten stare on Octavia. "How did you do that?"

"Which part?" she grumbled.

"You drained his youki."

"I didn't mean to."

Inuyasha tried to sit up. "Leave her alone, Sessho—"

"Stay out of this!" he snarled.

Octavia rose to her feet. The Daiyoukai was as surprised as the others had been to learn that her ankle had miraculously healed overnight. He must not have been paying attention to it when they spoke during the night. She took a step towards him and he flinched.

Your powers are unnatural.

Maybe they were, but power was power.

"Killing demons? Easy. But this?" Her lips curved into a smile. "Now you're scared."

His eyes thinned to slits before he paced away furiously.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Inuyasha choked, leaning on Kagome's shoulder for support.

"No. He knows that if he tries anything, I'll do the same thing I did to you to him." She turned to face him and gazed at the marks on his palms. "I'm really sorry, by the way. Do they hurt?"

"A little. What are they?"

"Totosai called them eight-pointed stars. Apparently, it's how spirit magic manifests."

"The jewel shards never did anything like that," said Kagome. "Are they permanent?"

"I don't think so. Sesshoumaru's is fading, so I doubt it."

Octavia travelled with them to their house. She watched as Kagome washed the burns with warm water and applied a dressing to both of Inuyasha's hands, restricting movement while he had them on. She was lucky it had been Inuyasha and not her. As a hanyou, his tolerance for pain was higher than a human's, and he healed faster, too. If it had been Kagome's powers being drained instead of his, the outcome might have been vastly different.

Octavia ate her stew and thanked them for having her, then walked to Kaede's house along the river. She couldn't risk hurting Kagome by asking her to continue teaching her. She'd have to seek help elsewhere.

.

.

On the dawn of the third day, Sesshoumaru found himself observing her from a distance. No measly human had ever managed to injure him before, and frankly, it was humiliating. His father must be laughing at him from inside his grave. She had gotten lucky. That was all.

She and Jaken were playing a game that involved drawing crosses and circles in a grid with nine boxes. To win, you had to make a line of either three crosses or three circles. The players took it in turns to draw their designated symbol, whilst also trying to prevent their opponent from completing a full line. Jaken had lost every game so far, and he wasn't taking it well.

"Cheat!" he screeched as she drew a circle in the dirt. "The game is rigged!"

"It's not rigged, you're just shit."

"I'm going to make you eat those words. Let's go again!"

Rin updated the scores and drew a new grid.

Sesshoumaru watched the human wipe the floor with him again. What would become of her if she stayed here with the old miko? She hadn't used her magic since the incident with Inuyasha, but how long would it be before she tried again? It could be dangerous to leave her unattended . . . It could also be incredibly beneficial to take her with him. Draining youki was a useful ability. If she was under his command, his enemies wouldn't stand a chance. However, he couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't turn on him at some point. He hadn't exactly endeared himself to her. She would probably relish in the opportunity to show him the full extent of her power.

Midday came and went. The human showed Rin how to turn paper into shapes. Her skills were rather impressive. She could fold paper into flowers, birds, and fish. There were also several creatures he was unfamiliar with, like the beast with a horn jutting out of its nose, and the horse-like being with a neck that was twice the size of its body.

It had only been a few days, yet Rin was utterly besotted with her. That complicated things. Rin never complained about being lonely, but Sesshoumaru sensed she longed for more than just him and their travelling companions. She wanted a friend. A real friend. Someone closer to her age. Perhaps the human could fill the Kohaku-sized hole in Rin's heart.

It was early evening by the time he reached a decision.

The human was sitting by herself on a knoll in the village outskirts. She was fisting the grass on either side of her and staring up at the yellowing sky. The grass beneath her fingers grew higher and curled around her wrists. She didn't seem to have noticed. He supposed that if she could drain reiki from a miko, she must be able to do the same to the energy present in nature.

Her eyes were closed as he landed softly on the grass in front of her. She was an uncanny thing with disproportionate features and honey brown hair. There were dark rings under her eyes, and she had hollowed-out cheeks that made her look older than she was. Her eyelids were big and round, with long, toffee-coloured lashes framing the lower halves.

"Aren't you leaving tonight?" she asked.

"Yes."

She opened her eyes and looked at him. Her irises were a balmy green and not unlike the skin of a pear. He'd only seen youkai with eyes anywhere close to that colour. How peculiar.

"Well? What do you want?"

"You will be accompanying us."

Her face fell. "Damn it, Rin," she mumbled.

He arched a single brow.

"Is there anything I can do to make you change your mind?"

"No."

She sighed. "I didn't think so . . . Maybe it's for the best. Inuyasha got hurt because of me."

The blades of grass around her wrists withered and died. Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered. Had he imagined it? "You give yourself far too much credit," he said. "The whelp is constantly injuring himself. He is a magnet for misfortune. Save your sympathies for someone who needs them."

She laughed at that, catching him by surprise. The moment she did, the grass turned from brown to green and thickened tremendously. Weeds sprouted all around her, unfurling to reveal bright purple flower heads. He instinctively moved backwards and groped for the Bakusaiga's handle.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing where his hand was.

She followed his gaze down to her legs, which were swaddled in thistles. Her eyes bulged with panic and she reached to tear herself free, only to witness the weeds convulse violently before wilting. She brushed the remaining weeds away and crawled out of the dead, umber patch.

"What just happened?"

"Your powers appear to be influenced by your emotions."

"So, I killed them?"

He nodded.

She plucked a single dead thistle from the ground and cradled it in her cupped hands. "What a shame," she said. "They had such a short life."

"Everything dies eventually."

"Even you?"

He paused, contemplating her question. "Except for me."

The corners of her mouth twitched. She was still holding what remained of the weed. He watched as she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. A pale purple light enveloped the thistle, restoring its colour and making it bloom again. The human smiled triumphantly.

"Here," she said, offering it to him. "Pretend it's an olive branch."

"I have no need for weeds."

"I know. It's a peace offering, idiot. Just shut up and take it."

"Ask nicely and I'll consider it."

It had been a joke, but she immediately responded with, "Please accept this humble flower, my lord. I picked it just for you." The comment was quickly followed by a muffled snort.

He sighed through his nose. "If you insist."

Smiling, she stood and dropped it into his waiting palm. "See you at sunset," she said, strolling past him. He waited until she was out of sight before squashing the pathetic weed in his fist.

.

.

Octavia said her goodbyes and met Sesshoumaru in the fields separating the village and the forest. Kagome had hugged her so tightly that she'd worried she was going to break a rib, whilst Inuyasha had simply told her to be careful.

Rin was quieter than usual on the walk to the rendezvous spot, glancing back at the village every now and then whilst Jaken babbled on about how grateful he was to be leaving. Octavia caught her eye and smiled at her. Rin returned the smile and seized her hand, intertwining their fingers. Maybe it wasn't Sesshoumaru who was lonely, but Rin. Octavia felt a wave of sympathy for her and squeezed her hand. Keeping her gaze on the path ahead, Rin squeezed back. Octavia didn't want to get attached, but she couldn't deny that she saw herself in Rin. It was clear that Rin needed someone, and not only that, she needed someone to need her, too.

For now, the well would have to wait.

Sesshoumaru was waiting for them by the treeline. Ah-Un bounded over to its master, dragging Jaken – who was holding the reins – with it. Rin giggled. Sesshoumaru saw that she and Octavia were holding hands as they approached but didn't comment on it.

"Where are we going this time, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked.

He held Octavia's stare for a moment before turning away and facing the forest. "The stronghold," he answered quietly.

Jaken gasped. "Are we really, milord?"

"Are you hard of hearing, Jaken?"

"No, milord! Forgive me for asking such a foolish question."

Ah-Un wagged its tail happily. "Calm yourself," Sesshoumaru told it.

"Why the change of heart?" asked Octavia.

"It is time to stop hiding," he answered in English.

Rin and Jaken shared a puzzled glance, but neither of them dared to ask him what he'd said. Octavia's eyes widened. Sesshoumaru refused to meet her gaze and walked towards the forest silently. Ah-Un was the first to follow.

"Hey, wait for us!" Rin shouted, running after them.

Jaken did the same. Octavia stuffed her hands into her pockets and looked in the direction the well-house was. She hadn't heard the echo in days. Whatever it was, it was long gone.

"Hurry up, Octavia-san!" Rin called from the treeline.

"Coming!"

Octavia jogged over to her and sailed with Sesshoumaru's group into unknown waters.

.

.