EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 37: Goodbye and farewell

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"I wish you could stay for Tanabata," Nagisa said, clasping Octavia's hands in her own.

"So do I," replied Octavia. "Although, from what I've heard, it sounds like a lot of hassle for just one day."

"That's part of the fun. You'll see. It's a huge deal for the rest of my kind, as well."

She peeked over at Sesshoumaru. "I thought demons didn't believe in any of that stuff."

"On the contrary. It's only the God Stars that we have an issue with. Well, most of us. As far as I'm concerned, all stars are sacred. Not just Orihime and Hikoboshi. I hope you'll remember that." The demoness smiled and pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't forget about us," she murmured, burying her face in Octavia's neck. "We won't forget about you, Okteviah True Jewel."

Octavia smiled and hugged her back. "I won't. I promise. I hope we can meet again someday."

Nagisa broke the embrace and brushed Octavia's hair behind her ears. "I'm sure we will," she assured her. "Now, make haste. Sesshoumaru lacks the patience that his father had. You don't want to keep him waiting."

You've spent so long trying to be like your father. When are you going to start being you?

"Patience is overrated. He'll wait for me, though. I know he will."

Nagisa's grey eyes softened. "In that case, here's a parting gift."

She leaned in close and whispered strange lyrics in Octavia's ear. Was it another prophecy? She'd had quite enough of those. Whatever it was, Octavia stashed the words safely inside her brain and made a mental note to tell Sesshoumaru about it later.

A teary Haru waved goodbye from his seat atop Taro's shoulders. The pair were standing on the edge of the cliffs overlooking the beach, and they were accompanied by a large horde of islanders. Grateful that they'd come to see her off, Octavia grinned and waved at them, which made them cheer loudly. It was only when their cries became unintelligible that she turned and headed towards the part of the beach where Sesshoumaru was waiting for her.

He was lying on his stomach in his true form, paws pressed to the snowy ground. As she approached, his ruby eyes peeled open and settled on her. He lifted his enormous head and peered down at her tiny mortal form. Her smile didn't fade as he growled softly and then bumped her with his nose. She checked that the Sword of the Firebird and the Reikon Blade were both secured to her waist before scaling his right arm and shoulder. She found a comfortable spot at the base of his skull and thrust her fingers into his silky fur. It was like sitting on top of a cloud.

His neck muscles shifted beneath her thighs, tightening as he prepared to launch himself into the sky. Octavia tried to curb her excitement, but it was thoroughly impossible. Magic was real. She'd been a fool to doubt its existence before. It wasn't simply in her veins, it was everywhere. The fairies had come for her in the end. They just weren't the ones she'd been expecting.

"Fly," she said, tightening her fingers in his fur. "Show me some real stars."

His body vibrated with laughter as he leapt into the clear blue sky.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Asuka trekked through the forest until she reached a hidden cove. The snow was hard beneath her boots, crunching with every step she took towards the shoreline, where the Commander was gazing out to sea.

The icy water lapped at his bare feet, making Asuka wince in imagined pain. Whilst the snow felt pleasantly warm – no doubt thanks to the magic of the crystals – the sea around the island was the opposite. Because of that, she stayed out of the water's reach and waited for the Commander to acknowledge her presence.

"Have they departed?" he asked without turning around to face her.

"They have. I watched them leave myself."

"That's good. Now that the barrier is down, we can begin mining immediately."

Asuka chewed her lip anxiously. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

He sighed. "No. I hate this part."

"Me, too."

She saw him examining the thick risen scars on the backs of his hands. "The Daiyoukai is a problem," he said after a while. "Why is she so protective of him?"

"As much as I loathe to admit it, he found her first. It's only natural that she trusts him more than she trusts us."

"I suppose you're right. If I was her, I wouldn't trust you either. Not after what happened in Ebisu."

Asuka tried not to grimace. "Forgive me, sir. I didn't know she was your—"

"Enough. You've already atoned for your sins. Let us focus on the matter at hand."

"Of course. Sorry, sir."

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and swirled the glacial water around with his feet. "Summon the others," he told her. "It's time to do what we came here for."

She laid a hand over her heart and bowed. "Yes, sir."

As she walked away, she couldn't help but shiver as she remembered the hunger in Hana's purple eyes. The Commander sometimes looked like that. The moment that her eyes had glazed over and she'd called upon her power, Asuka had known that she was the one. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't she have been a hatchling like all the rest? Why couldn't she have stayed dead?

Now that the Commander had found her at long last, he wouldn't be satisfied until she was back where she belonged. He claimed that her place was with them, but Asuka wasn't exactly thrilled with the prospect of inviting a beast-lover into their ranks.

It didn't matter who she was. In Asuka's eyes, Hana was and always would be ruined.

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A familiar shape appeared on the horizon the next day.

Ah-Un tore through the air like a bullet, before slowing to prance joyously around Sesshoumaru's colossal form. Octavia threw her arms around the dragon's twin necks and allowed herself to be hauled out of her fluffy seat. Sesshoumaru's large tongue darted out of his mouth and gave both her and Ah-Un a firm lick. She shrieked and hid her face in the dragon's now sticky mane.

Ah-Un waited until she was seated properly on its back before riding the air currents alongside Sesshoumaru. With the sun on her back and the wind in her hair, Octavia had never felt more alive. She squealed with laughter as Ah-Un suddenly flipped its body so that they were flying upside down, whereas the giant dog beside them merely rolled his eyes and flew higher.

Octavia recognised the challenge and waited until she was upright again before chasing after him. Catching up to him was no easy feat. Despite his size, he was still faster than Ah-Un, and his fur was the perfect camouflage, allowing him to blend in with the clouds.

Unfortunately for him, she knew his youki better than she knew herself. It was like a beacon, calling out to her from within the clouds. She followed it to its source and vaulted onto his back, landing on a bed of soft fur. Sesshoumaru growled and tried to buck her off, but she could tell that his heart wasn't in it. If it was, she'd have been thrown halfway across Japan by now.

He seemed to adopt a more light-hearted personality when he was in this form. If anyone looked up and saw them, they might assume that they were playing . . . Was that what this was?

Thunder boomed in the distance. As they crossed over the border and entered the province of Aki, the sky was no longer blue. The clouds were charcoal grey and bulging, ready to spill at any moment, and pillars of lightning could be seen above the dreary countryside.

Ah-Un growled in anticipation and sped towards the brewing storm. Octavia gasped as it opened its mouths and swallowed the lightning. The dragon's youki increased and it unleashed a mighty roar, mimicking the sound of thunder perfectly, before blue and green lightning erupted from its mouths and painted the clouds turquoise.

"Holy shit," she muttered.

Sesshoumaru made a noise that sounded remarkably like a snort.

They let Ah-Un light the way to the stronghold, where a new storm was awaiting their arrival.

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Author's Corner

Who the frig is the Commander and what does he want with our girl? Keep reading to find out!