EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 38: Homecoming
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Sesshoumaru transformed into his second form before they came within range of the stronghold, then landed in the gardens where the first shadow had revealed itself to them.
Octavia and Ah-Un weren't far behind. As soon as the dragon's paws touched grass, Octavia was out of its saddle and staring at the Daiyoukai's turned back expectantly. She scratched behind Ah-Un's ears whilst she waited for him to acknowledge her, causing Ah-Un to growl contentedly and lean into her touch. But Sesshoumaru said nothing. He didn't even look at her.
"Hey," she called, ceasing her ministrations. "What's up?"
His silence unsettled her. Had she done something wrong? She opened her mouth to ask, but he was already walking away. Of course he is. What else did you expect? He was only being nice because he was stuck with you. She'd suspected as much, but a part of her had hoped that his feelings towards her might have changed after everything they'd been through.
Frowning, she left Ah-Un sunbathing on the grass and marched after Sesshoumaru, whom she'd lost sight of. Determined to catch up to him, she climbed onto the engawa and entered the castle the same way he had. The corridor inside was empty. He couldn't have gotten far—
"Hello again, little mouse."
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"Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Rin bounded down the hallway like a baby hare, heels screeching to a halt just in front of him. Composing herself, she flattened her arms against her sides and politely dipped her head in greeting. His expression radiated approval as he did the same.
"How have you fared, Rin?" he asked.
She smiled at him. "Very well, thank you. I missed you, though. Jaken-sama did, too. He was ever so melancholy. Where were you, anyway? Why didn't you take us with you?"
"Your safety is more important than the feeling of abandonment," he replied curtly. "Bringing you along on such a dangerous trip would have been incredibly irresponsible of me."
Her smile faltered. "It never stopped you before."
He resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. "This time was different."
"Why?"
When he didn't answer, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Her stern expression seemed awfully familiar. Was this what the former taijiya had been referring to when she'd said Rin sometimes reminded her of him?
"I had enough to worry about without throwing you and Jaken into the mix as well," he said.
"Then how come you took Octavia-san? What happened to the two of you in the gardens that day? And what was that thing that attacked us? I'd never seen anything like it before."
"It matters not. Besides, the monster is dead. It shan't bother us again."
"So, you killed it?" she asked.
"We did," he confirmed.
Her brow furrowed. "We?"
"The human's powers proved to be useful on several occasions."
"I know you're hiding something from me."
He stiffened.
Why did she have to be so perceptive?
"Well?" she probed. "What is it?"
"It is done," he answered. "That's all you need to know, Rin."
Her scent flared with anger. "Why won't you just tell me? I thought you trusted me—"
"As did I."
Her eyes softened and she unfolded her arms. "I do trust you, Sesshoumaru-sama. It's just . . . I felt so useless. Like I was a little girl again. I know you're only trying to protect me, but most of the time, it feels like you're shutting me out. I don't want to be coddled. I want to help."
"You already do."
The comment seemed to catch her off guard.
He'd never say it out loud, but Rin did more for him than she realised. Since the beginning, she'd been a welcome escape from the monotony of his immortal existence and the pressure of living in his father's shadow. She made him forget his troubles, even if she didn't mean to. That was the reason that he kept her around. It had absolutely nothing to do with Inuyasha. Nothing at all.
That's why you helped Rin, isn't it? You were trying to fix your mistake.
"I take it you behaved during my absence," he said, pushing aside the obscene thought.
She rolled her eyes. "Here it comes," she muttered.
"How are your studies?"
"They're fine," she answered. "My reading is basically perfect, and I can even write long words now. Like condescending and pompous, to name a few."
He fought back a smirk. "Impressive."
"I know. And I'm getting pretty damn good at the jo no mai dance."
"Do you speak to your dance tutor with that mouth?"
"Only sometimes."
"Perhaps Jaken was right about you requiring a stricter education."
She giggled. "Jaken-sama being right about something? Wouldn't that be a first?"
The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. Despite being human, Rin was wilder than many of the demonesses that lived in the castle. Underneath the guise of a sweet-natured girl, she was a ferocious little savage. Inuyasha and his friends weren't entirely responsible for her feral nature. After all, Sesshoumaru himself had influenced her just as strongly as they had, if not more. He ought to be at a loss for what to do with her, but in reality, he enjoyed watching the chaos she unleashed simply by existing. Like tormenting Jaken, it was a great source of amusement.
He reached out and poked one of the two hair buns on the sides of her head. They made her look like a bear. How fitting, he thought as she ducked out of his grasp and whined about how it had taken her ages to fix her hair that morning. Wild streak aside, she was still a self-conscious girl on the cusp of womanhood, and men were starting to take notice of her.
He didn't know how to feel about that. Not when he was dubious that any man – mortal or immortal – would ever be worthy of her.
"Octavia will be looking for you," he said. "Go and find her before she lands herself in more trouble."
Rin ceased messing with her hair and smiled in disbelief. "You said her name."
His eyes narrowed. "And?"
Her smile grew wider. She clasped her hands together behind her back and turned to walk away. "I also learned how to write oblivious," she said quietly, tossing him a knowing look.
"Good for you," he replied.
She snorted loudly before disappearing down the hallway.
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Octavia flashed Kanetsugu a tight smile.
"Hi," she squeaked. "Long time no see."
The Daiyoukai loomed over her like a giant, pinning her with his dark eyes. His cobalt hair glistened like the night sky, except that it was utterly devoid of stars. She saw the muscles in his wings flex and ripple as he unfolded them. They were bigger than she'd remembered.
"Where have you been hiding?" he asked. "No one's seen you since the incident in the gardens. My sister has been asking after you. I didn't realise the two of you were so close."
"We aren't. She was just humouring me."
"I see."
He looked her up and down before stating, "Your ear is disfigured. I suppose that's rather tame, though. Your bodies are more fragile than ours. Sesshoumaru-sama must have forgotten."
She grimaced at the mental image of Sesshoumaru tearing her earlobe with his teeth in a frenzy of passion. "First of all, that's not how it happened. Second, ugh!"
Kanetsugu looked unconvinced. "Where have you both been these past few weeks, then?" he asked, frowning. "I'm not the only one with those suspicions."
"What your lord gets up to in his spare time is none of your business, but if you must know, we were on a very important mission."
"What kind of mission?"
"The kind that involves killing monsters."
His frown deepened. "There's more to it than that. I know there is. Why the secrecy?"
"I'm not being secretive. I just don't like you."
She moved to walk past him, but his hand shot out and closed around her wrist, holding her in place. "Be careful, human," he warned. "I don't like you, either. And when I don't like someone, they usually end up dead. I suggest that you tread carefully from now on."
She surprised him by laughing. "You're just like him."
"Who?"
"Sesshoumaru. You really are like brothers."
Kanetsugu gasped and let go of her wrist in shock. "How dare you—"
"You should be kinder to your sister. She might not look as lonely if you acted like her brother every once in a while. You might have lost everything else, but you still have each other." She held his gaze and added, "I don't know the exact details of your situation, but I do know how it feels to be an outcast. I've never belonged anywhere, either . . . At least you're not alone."
"What do you know?" he snarled, baring his teeth at her. "You're just a human."
She ignored his obvious attempts to antagonise her and stepped around him ingenuously. "Don't ever threaten me again," she said without stopping. A smile pulled at her lips as his youki bristled behind her, before returning to normal. He made no move to follow her.
As opposed to blindly searching the castle for Sesshoumaru, she decided to pay Rin a visit instead. The weeks they'd spent apart felt more like months, and she was eager to find out what the girl had been up to since they'd seen each other last. They had so much to talk about. Grinning, Octavia sprinted up the stairs and banged on the door leading into Rin's private quarters. Her grin faded when she learned that they were empty, but there were plenty of other places she could be.
Something small and sharp burrowed its way into her neck, making her shriek and flatten the mystery object with her palm. A muffled groan sounded from under her hand. Removing it, she found a flea squashed against her skin. "Ow . . ." the flea moaned, peeling itself free.
"Myoga?" she called. "Is that you? Whoops."
"It's quite all right, milady. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that. It's not your fault that your blood is so delicious."
One drop of her blood and he will live again.
"Don't worry about it," she told him. "You're not the only one who's after it."
"Oh?"
"It's a long story. The short version is we're both back to normal."
She made her eyes turn purple as proof.
Myoga beamed. "Fantastic! So the island was real, after all?"
She nodded.
"What was it like?"
"It was exactly as you described. Only there were demons there, too. Lots of them. Humans and youkai living together. It was so peaceful. I even met—" She cut herself off. Nagisa had wanted her survival to remain a secret. She changed the subject. "How did you know about it?"
"I know lots of things," he answered. "And as I said, the place was just a myth. When you live for as long as I have, you've heard practically every story ever told. Even the really obscure ones."
"Then . . . Have you ever heard of the Iwa Faction before?"
He rubbed his chin. "Hmm. I can't say I have. Although the name does sound familiar somehow."
"All I know is that they hunt monsters. Their second-in-command is a woman called Asuka. She has a rope infused with miko blood. Apparently, someone from their group is searching for me. I don't know why."
The boy will not rest until he's found you. Not when you're so very precious to him.
"'Two halves are required to make a whole'," she echoed, remembering the shadows' words.
"I recall Totosai saying something like that once," he mused aloud. "Would you like me to look into it for you?"
"Please," she replied. "But keep it on the down-low. I don't want them to catch on and find me."
"Of course. You have my word, milady."
She smiled faintly. "Why do you call me that? I don't have a fancy title like Sesshoumaru does."
"Maybe not, but you are powerful. And power demands respect."
"I suppose . . ." Sighing, she returned her attention to the door in front of her. "You haven't seen Rin, have you? I can't exactly use my sense of smell to track her down like you lot can."
He shook his tiny head. "I haven't. Maybe she's out enjoying the sunshine?"
"Maybe. I know she likes the gardens around the hedge maze. I'll start by looking there."
"Good idea. I hope you find her."
"Thanks. Look after yourself, Myoga."
"Likewise, milady. Until next time!"
He jumped out of her hands and swiftly bounced away. Rubbing the spot on her neck that he'd sucked, she made her way back outside. Ah-Un lifted both heads as she passed, but didn't budge from its position on the grass.
She followed the path along the edge of a stream, which took her to a curved bridge leading over the water. The red paint was blinding in the harsh sunlight, however, there was a spot in the middle of the bridge that was darker than the rest. She wandered over to it and realised that it was actually a large puddle. Her reflection gazed back at her, tinted red by the colour of the bridge – or was it the colour of the water?
Speaking of water, a drop suddenly landed on her head and rolled down her face. Had it started raining? No . . . There was scarcely a cloud in sight. She wiped the dampness away with her fingers, only to freeze when she saw the sticky red residue left behind on her hand.
It wasn't water. It was blood.
Another drop landed on her cheek, prompting her to look up and study the trees above her, before releasing a harrowing scream.
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