EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 44: Wish

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"I wonder where I left my shoes."

Octavia limped across the grass, searching for them. She hadn't the faintest idea when she'd taken them off, or what she'd done with them afterwards. Her feet throbbed in protest, forcing her to sit down and clutch her aching soles. The flesh was marred and swollen, but thankfully, the wounds stayed closed. She probably shouldn't walk around barefoot anymore, though.

Sesshoumaru rose from his seat by the pond and smirked at her. "Wait here."

He left before she could ask him where he was going.

She pulled up a handful of grass and chucked it into the water. There was now very little wine left in her system. Whatever it was made from, it was remarkably short-lived compared to other non-magical wines. She dipped her hands into the pond and splashed her face with cold water. Her arousal had dulled considerably, but it wasn't entirely absent. Her lower abdomen was still fluttering . . . Maybe the wine hadn't been to blame. Maybe it was just her.

Self-conscious and ashamed, she pulled her knees into her chest and scrunched her eyes shut. She could really do without this. Especially now that she'd gotten him to admit that they were, in fact, friends. Maybe she should go and find Koga and see if he actually wanted to—

A surge of youki stole her attention. Her eyes snapped open, and she leapt to her feet, scanning the trees for movement.

It wasn't just one demon. It was multiple.

They didn't feel as powerful as Sesshoumaru or the other warlords, but they were far from small fry. Balling her fists, Octavia steadied her breathing and reached out with her magic. When she made contact, she experienced an array of varying sensations – the sweet aroma of flowers, the warmth of an open flame, the crackle of lightning, and the icy cold of winter.

Sesshoumaru reappeared with her shoes and thrust them into her hands. His eyes narrowed as he sniffed the air, detecting four individual scents close by.

"Who are they?" Octavia asked quietly.

"Intruders," he replied, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

"Should I—"

"Go back to the plaza. I can handle these pests by myself."

Nodding, she shoved her feet into her sandals and hurried away.

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The intruders waited until she was out of earshot to reveal themselves.

They descended from above and had him surrounded in an instant, but he wasn't at all intimidated by them. Why should he be? Dogs didn't cower before cats. He might be outnumbered, but he was stronger than the four of them combined. They knew better than to attack him unprovoked.

"Hello again, Sesshoumaru," greeted the blue-haired demoness. "It's been a while."

"What do you want this time, Toran?" he asked coldly.

Grinning, she suddenly dropped to her knees, encouraging her siblings to do the same. "Fear not," she said calmly. "We didn't come here to fight. We have a proposition for you, if you'll hear it."

He lowered his claws. "Go on."

"We'd like our clans to be allies."

He snorted. "Don't be absurd."

"I told you he'd never agree to it," Karan muttered.

"We have much to offer," continued Toran. "The Panther Tribe has grown since you last saw us. Our territory now covers most of the western shoreline, and we own an entire fleet of ships."

"I have no need of ships."

"We also heard a rumour that you managed to wield the lightning in your sword," added Shuran.

"What lightning?"

"The attack that vaporises those with demon blood. I can teach you how to use it properly."

Sesshoumaru paused. Could he be referring to the beam of blue light that had destroyed the crones and their underlings? Why would a cat know how to master such a complex move? Yes, the cat in question was a master of lightning, but there was no proof that his lightning was the same as the kind the Tenseiga could produce . . . Then again, there was no proof that it wasn't.

Karan smirked. "Now he's interested."

"How did you come to know about it?" he asked.

"All in good time," Toran answered. "Now, will you accept our offer or not?"

He stared at them dubiously. "What are your motives for proposing this alliance? If you're doing as well as you claim, what exactly do you need from me?"

"You're the son of the Inu no Taisho," Shunran replied sweetly. "No one would get in our way if they knew we were friends with you. We'd be unstoppable."

"Being allies does not equate to friendship."

"You know what I mean."

Sesshoumaru kept his expression neutral as he weighed the pros and cons of accepting their proposal in his head. His father would never have agreed to an alliance with the Panther Tribe, but looking back, his father was the reason that their clans were at odds to begin with. If he hadn't killed the Panther King, Toran and her siblings would have had no reason to seek revenge.

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

"Well?" Karan probed. "What do you say?"

"I will consider it."

They smiled triumphantly.

"In the meantime, feel free to enjoy the festivities," he told them.

"Oh, we will," Shuran promised with a glint in his eye.

Sesshoumaru turned his back to them and was about to walk away, when Toran asked, "Is it true that you've made an alliance with a human?"

He clenched his jaw. "It is. Not that it concerns any of you."

"What is she? The feeling only lasted a couple of seconds, but it was like she touched my soul."

"She does that. Try not to be alarmed if it happens again."

". . . It kind of reminded me of the Shikon no Tama."

He glanced at them from over his shoulder and flashed the demoness a deadly smile. "Why do you think I chose her of all people?" he lied.

They all gawped at him in horror.

"So it's true," gasped Karan. "The jewel might be gone, but its power remains."

"Her power precedes the jewel by centuries," Sesshoumaru corrected. "Hence, its magic pales in comparison to hers."

"Is that supposed to reassure us?" Shunran squeaked.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to chuckle. It was embarrassing how gullible they were. "Calm yourselves," he said. "Unlike the jewel, she can actually be controlled."

"I hope you're right," Toran uttered softly. "For your sake, not ours."

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Octavia followed the sound of music.

She saw the plaza through the trees and sprinted towards it, only to almost collide with Prince Yuudai. His eyes widened in surprise, and she cursed internally. Of all the people she could have run into. What if he asked her where she'd been? Would he see straight through her lies?

"Hello," he said, smiling faintly. "I didn't expect to see you. Why aren't you with the warlock?"

"I wasn't feeling very well," she answered. "Too much to drink."

He nodded in understanding. "I heard about what happened earlier. I'm sorry you had to go through that. My sisters often act without thinking. Try not to hold it against them."

She stole a glimpse at the lights that were coming from the plaza. "What about you?" she asked casually. "Why are you out here all alone?"

"I was looking for our elusive host. It's been so long since our last chat . . . You seem to have beat me to it, though."

"Why do you say that?"

"His scent is all over you."

She stiffened. "It's not what you think—"

"Fear not. I know you are not lovers."

Her lips curled into a frown. "What do you mean, you know?"

"Sess-chan isn't the type to tumble with a stranger. Especially not one that's human."

"I'm not a stranger."

"Oh? How long have you known each other?"

"Uh . . . It's been just over a month, I think."

"Then my initial assessment was correct."

Anger sparked in her chest. "What do you know? Your last proper conversation was hundreds of years ago. If anyone's a stranger, it's you, not me."

He chortled. "Bold words for a human."

"My name is Octavia," she said harshly. "Use it."

"I meant no disrespect. I was merely stating that you are braver than the majority of your kind. And more foolish. We Daiyoukai don't take kindly to being undermined."

"That's because you all have egos as fragile as glass."

His hand shot out and caught her wrist. She flinched and tried to pull it free, but his grip was tight and unrelenting. "Watch your words," he warned. "Few of us are as forgiving as Sess-chan."

"Let go," she whispered.

He leaned in close and murmured, "Who are you, human? What was the name of your clan before they were slaughtered? Why are you really here? I want the truth this time."

"It is the truth."

"You're a terrible liar."

"Let go!" she said again.

"Not until you tell me who you are—"

Her other hand struck his cheek, silencing him mid-sentence. The slap echoed through the grove. Her heart stopped for a moment when she realised what she'd done, and a ringing started in her ears. Yuudai blinked slowly, processing what had just happened. Without speaking, he released her wrist and caressed his stinging face. Octavia trembled with remorse.

"I'm sorry," she started. "I shouldn't have—"

He burst out laughing.

She bit her lip and twisted her fingers together anxiously, wondering what was so funny.

"That's much better," he said, composing myself. "I knew there was another reason he was keeping you all to himself. You really are something, aren't you?"

"You're not . . . upset?"

"Why would I be upset? This is the first time I've been slapped by a human. But I have a feeling I'm not the first demon you've done this to. Am I right?"

She thought back to Sesshoumaru's burnt wrist and chewed the inside of her cheek. Her guilty expression was a good enough answer for Yuudai, who smiled wider and tucked his hands into his long haori sleeves.

"My mother worries for you," he said. "She's clearly wasting her time. You're not in any danger here. You never were. Especially since Sess-chan takes such good care of you."

"I don't need him to take care of me."

"I never said you did."

He bowed his head politely before walking away, leaving her to mull over his words. Not wanting to be alone, she quickly marched towards the plaza. It didn't take her long to spot Rin's bright orange kimono. She bounded over to the group and barrelled into Rin's arms, then hid her face in her raven hair. Rin wound her arms around Octavia's waist and rested her chin on her shoulder.

Jaken scolded her for running off without saying anything, but Octavia ignored him and concentrated on Rin's comforting scent, which reminded her of lemons and freshly mowed grass.

"Did they hurt you?" Rin whispered in her ear.

She shook her head.

They parted and Rin planted both hands on her shoulders. "I'm glad. I was so scared when I noticed that you were gone. Not all youkai are like Sesshoumaru-sama, so I thought something bad had happened to you. Please don't ever do that again."

"I won't," she promised.

"Sesshoumaru-sama will be furious when he finds out you made Rin cry!" screeched Jaken.

"I didn't cry! You were the one wailing about how he was going to drown you in the stream if we didn't find her."

"It wouldn't have been entirely his fault," said Cyril. "She was under my watch, too."

"And mine," Sou added.

Octavia subtly glanced around the plaza, searching for Koga and his companions. Had he been worried about her, as well? Had he even cared that she'd gone missing?

Rin saw her scanning the crowd for him and sighed. "He went to look for you," she said.

Octavia's cheeks warmed. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. You can let him know you're okay once you've made a wish with me."

A wish?

Rin pulled her towards the nearest pot of bamboo and handed her a piece of blank card. There was a brush and some ink on the ground in front of the pot, so Octavia picked the former up and tried to decide what to write. Once she'd made up her mind, she pressed the tip of the brush to the card and recorded her wish, opting to write in English. Afterwards, she fastened the piece of card to a branch using red string and watched as it dangled alongside the other wishes.

"Who reads them?" she asked.

"Most people would say Orihime and Hikoboshi," replied Cyril. "But I think it's the magpies. They're the ones who granted Orihime's wish to cross the river, after all."

Octavia stared at the writing on her piece of card and smiled.

Whoever sees them, I hope they see mine.

The star called Vega in the constellation of Lyra seemingly winked in answer, whilst the deity named Time laughed maniacally in the distance.

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