EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 67: Fractured
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Rin had been dreaming when the enemy broke through the walls.
She was awoken by what she believed to be an earthquake, when in reality, it was something far worse. She crawled out of Octavia's warm bed and hissed in pain. Her head felt like it had borne a great weight at some point during the night, but she had no idea what it could have been.
Octavia's drawings of Lord Sesshoumaru were in a messy pile on the floor. The tremors must have disturbed them, causing them to spill across the floor like ink. Rin meandered over to pick them up – still drowsy – when the door flew open, and Master Jaken rushed into the room unannounced.
"Rin!" he shouted, panting heavily. "Thank goodness you're all right! I've been looking everywhere for you, you stupid girl! Now put those down and come with me!"
"Why?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"
"There isn't time! We have to—"
A scream echoed from down the hallway, followed by a loud hacking sound, and then silence.
Rin froze as Master Jaken quickly closed the door and shoved the vanity in front of it. They both scurried backwards when the door handle started turning by itself, but there was nowhere to go.
"What's going on?" she whispered, trying not to panic.
"Intruders," he stammered. "I'm not sure h-how, but the castle has been breached."
"So, what do we do?"
He gripped his staff. "I don't know. This is usually the part where Sesshoumaru-sama shows up."
Rin found her eyes being drawn to the paper shoji connecting to the washroom. She grabbed Master Jaken's hand and yanked him through it as the intruder outside swung an axe at the door, splintering the wood. She hid behind the screen and silently gestured for the imp to do the same. They heard the vanity topple over as the intruder broke down the door and stomped into the room. Rin saw the intruder's hulking silhouette through the paper screen and narrowed her eyes in anticipation. Master Jaken swallowed and squeezed the handle of his staff tighter.
The intruder checked beneath the bed and behind the folding screen where Octavia dressed, before inhaling deeply and chuckling to himself.
"I smell a tasty human," he sang, angling his head towards the washroom. "You must be the little filly we've heard so much about. What a lovely surprise."
Rin closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten in her head.
"Tsunayoshi-sama told us not to kill you, but he didn't say anything about not enjoying you."
Master Jaken squeaked and positioned himself between her and the paper screen, but Rin was used to the threats of men. She waited until the intruder was less than a metre away from the screen before giving Master Jaken a clear nod.
He slammed the bottom of the Nintoujou on the ground and screeched, startling the intruder. Flames spewed out of the old man's wooden mouth and burned their way through the screen. The intruder roared in pain as the fire scorched his skin and sent him tumbling backwards.
Rin spotted a kamisori in a box on the edge of the bath and hastily picked it up. The razor shone as she ran over to the intruder and plunged it into his neck. She whimpered as the flames burned her hand, but his dying breaths made her forget her own pain. She watched the light leave his eyes as his chest ceased moving.
Her fingers trembled as they pulled out the razor, which was slick with blood. She shivered as it ran down her arms and pooled in her joints. It was never-ending. She hadn't seen this much blood since the bandits came and killed her family whilst she watched through a gap between the floorboards.
She heard Jaken inhale sharply before yelling, "Look out!"
Something hard whacked against the back of her head, knocking her out cold.
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Sesshoumaru and Octavia trekked across the ravaged countryside, heading straight for the stronghold. She stared at the swaying red and purple banners and felt cold all over.
For some reason, it all led back to Ryukotsusei. Even in death, his influence remained strong and unyielding. She recalled what the Dressmaker had told her about Rayna and wondered if she was somehow still alive. Revenge was a powerful motivator.
Whoever it was, they were barking up the wrong tree. If they were seeking vengeance for Ryukotsusei's death, they should be targeting Inuyasha, not Sesshoumaru. The former was the one who'd killed him, after all.
Sesshoumaru stopped walking and turned around to face her.
"This is as far as I will allow you to go," he said.
She frowned. "Excuse me?"
"I refuse to lead you to your death."
"So, you're admitting that it's dangerous?"
He chose not to respond.
Smiling in an attempt to diffuse the tension, she tugged on his sleeve and said, "You're not getting rid of me that easily. Besides, what if you need someone to save you? I don't know if you noticed, but I'm like, crazy powerful now. I don't even need that crappy dagger anymore."
"I've been meaning to ask you about that. Why don't you have it?"
Her smile faltered slightly. "Augustus took it from me. Not that I care."
"I was under the impression that it was of some importance to you."
"That was before I found out why Nidawi gave it to me."
His eyes sparked with intrigue.
"Your father and his allies were conspiring against me," she explained. "Totosai reforged the Reikon Blade to protect you. From me."
"Why would I need protecting from you?"
". . . He thought I was going to kill you. They all did."
His expression remained neutral. "Why?"
"Your father came across this legend about a king that lived on the moon who was murdered by a star. Somehow, he got it into his head that it was about us. I'm guessing it's why he was so keen on killing Rayna. He must have assumed that she was the one from the legend."
"And Totosai knew about this?"
She nodded.
"Then he has betrayed me."
"No, he hasn't. He did it to save you. Me, on the other hand . . ."
The intensity of his gaze caught her off guard. "I won't let you die," he said. "Your life is mine, remember? I will slaughter anyone who tries to harm you. You have my word."
She didn't bother hiding her smile. "Likewise," she promised.
An ear-piercing roar rumbled from further down the road.
Sesshoumaru yanked Octavia against him and zipped along the path.
A group of poachers were circling a three-legged beast with two heads, which Octavia immediately recognised as Ah-Un. Sesshoumaru's eyes darkened as one of the poachers laughed and slashed the dragon's side with his knife. Ah-Un wasn't normally so careless, but its missing hind leg had messed with its balance and made dodging even the simplest of attacks almost impossible.
Octavia opened her mouth to tell Sesshoumaru, but he was already in motion. He thrust his hand into one poacher's chest and ripped out his heart. The others hesitated as their comrade fell to the ground, dead. Sesshoumaru tossed the heart aside before advancing towards them.
No less than a minute later, the remaining poachers had either escaped or been killed as well, and Ah-Un was safe. The dragon limped over to Sesshoumaru and nosed his stomach, whimpering in gratitude. Sesshoumaru uttered no words of comfort, but his hands came to rest on Ah-Un's heads and carefully stroked their manes. The dark green hair was encrusted with blood and dirt.
"What happened?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly.
The dragon lifted its heads and answered with a series of whines. Although she couldn't understand what it was saying, Octavia didn't dare interrupt. She'd never seen Ah-Un look so afraid. Sesshoumaru listened intently as Ah-Un explained why it was out here alone.
"They were attacked," he said once Ah-Un had finished. "A battalion broke through the stronghold's defences and invaded the castle. There was no warning."
Octavia's heart was pounding. "Did anyone else escape?"
"Some," he answered. "Apparently, most of them perished during the first wave."
"What about Rin? Did she manage to get away? Is she safe?"
Ah-Un's ears drooped, and it whimpered softly.
"It didn't see her," Sesshoumaru translated. "Or Jaken."
His face was blank.
Octavia's vision blurred. She shook her head, causing the tears to spill and roll down her cheeks in thick droplets. "No," she whispered, tasting salt on her tongue. "I don't believe it. They're out there somewhere. I know they are. They're probably looking for us as we speak . . ."
She couldn't bring herself to consider the alternative.
"Where are the other survivors?" Sesshoumaru asked Ah-Un. He sounded stiff and robotic, and his eyes were dull. "Someone must know what became of them."
The dragon growled in response.
Octavia scrubbed her eyes dry. "Can you take us there?" she sniffed.
Ah-Un nodded, then turned and shuffled towards the treeline. They followed it to the bottom of a steep cliff, which had several openings. Octavia thought that she could hear a waterfall, but she couldn't see one. Ah-Un hobbled into the one that was closest and led them through a network of caves, where the sound of rushing water was even more prevalent.
Octavia stole a glimpse at Sesshoumaru, whose eyes looked even more lifeless than before. His claws dug into the meat of his palms and drew blood, which trickled down his knuckles and onto the ground. She reached out without thinking and caught his wrist, before moving her hand to slowly encircle his closed fist. His blood coated her fingers, but she didn't care. She squeezed until she felt his hand loosen slightly and used the opportunity to slot her fingers between his.
His breath hitched and he met her stare. She saw his pupils widen to adjust to the dimness of the caves and flashed him a tiny smile. He seemed to appreciate it, because his thumb crawled out from its prison between their two palms and rubbed circles on her hand.
Ah-Un felt the change in its master's youki and turned to look, conscious of the fact that they were in a place that resembled the dreaded tombs. When the dragon noticed the pair's joined hands, it quickly turned away, recognising that it had just witnessed something it shouldn't have.
The passage fed into a large cavern with a spray of water pouring in through a hole in the ceiling. Said water disappeared into a deep chasm at the centre of the cavern, where it travelled under the caves before coming out somewhere along the coast.
Sensing movement on the other side of the spray, Octavia let go of Sesshoumaru's hand and took a couple of steps backwards before anyone could see. He knew better than to look at her, but she could see his fingers twitching slightly.
Her stomach sank when she saw the gathering of survivors all huddled together on the ground. There couldn't be more than two hundred of them. Out of the thousands that had lived within the stronghold's walls, only a tiny percentage had survived. She recognised Haru and a handful of his friends, as well as Fuko and Aya, but the rest were practically strangers.
Tensing his jaw, Sesshoumaru moved closer and unmasked his aura. The effect was instantaneous. The head of every survivor shot up to gape at him, speechless in his presence.
Haru's eyes inflated when they landed on Octavia, before quickly filling with tears. He rushed into her open arms and sobbed into her chest, all while rambling incoherent sentences. Octavia combed her fingers through his hair and tried not to think about how Rin wasn't with him.
Sesshoumaru's eyes raked across the crowd in silence, searching for his ward despite already knowing that she wasn't there.
"Finally!" someone roared. "Where the hell have you been!"
Octavia flinched. There was only one person who had the nerve to speak to Sesshoumaru like that.
Sesshoumaru turned just in time to see Kanetsugu stomping towards him with his mouth pressed into a hard line. The bat's youki was in disarray, and the runes on his face were sharp and jagged, yet Sesshoumaru refused to let himself be intimidated by him. Enraged, Kanetsugu upped the ante by baring his teeth, but that didn't work, either. Octavia was surprised that Sesshoumaru hadn't retaliated. Especially since Kanetsugu was practically begging to be gutted like a fish.
"Tell me what happened," Sesshoumaru said calmly. "Why is Ryukotsusei's banner hanging where mine should be?"
"You'd know if you'd been there," Kanetsugu hissed. "You don't get to waltz back in here and demand answers. At least, not until you've answered ours. Well? Where were you?"
"That is not your concern—"
"Actually, it is. If you hadn't been off doing whatever the fuck it is you do when you're not here, my sister would still be . . ." He paused mid-sentence when he noticed Octavia. His pupils quickly shrunk, and he curled his upper lip in revulsion. "I get it now," he said through gritted teeth. "You really are your father's son, aren't you? I hope it was worth losing your ward."
Sesshoumaru's cool demeanour finally faltered. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice strained.
"How the hell should I know? She's probably dea—"
Kanetsugu's face contorted as he began to choke on his own breath. The other survivors murmured amongst themselves whilst Kanetsugu locked eyes with Octavia, whose hands were glowing with purple light. Haru sniffed and craned his head upwards to look at her face, which was full of fury. Her eyes narrowed and she increased the pressure on Kanetsugu's neck. Wheezing, he fell to his knees and clawed at his throat, which bore the mitama mark for 'air'.
She only stopped when Sesshoumaru looked at her and shook his head.
Kanetsugu coughed violently after his neck was freed and hunched over on the ground, gulping down oxygen. She waited for him to recover before saying, "You don't get to pin this on him. He's just one person. What difference would it have made if he was there with you?"
"He's the Lord of the Western Lands," Kanetsugu rasped. "It's his duty to protect us."
"It was your home, too," she argued. "You could have saved them. But you ran. You left them behind . . . Rin. Jaken. Cyril. Nagisa. Your own sister! You just left them! So don't you dare act like you're innocent, because you're not. You're as much to blame as we are."
Rubbing his neck, he returned her icy glare. "No, human, I'm not. If anyone is to blame, it's you. If Sesshoumaru-sama hadn't been off chasing you, none of this would have happened." His youki bristled dangerously. "I knew you were trouble from the moment I saw you. I should have trusted my gut. You're the reason the stronghold was taken over. It's your fault that they died!"
"Enough!" bellowed Sesshoumaru. "I suggest that you shut your mouth and cease goading her into killing you, Kanetsugu. If she tries again, I will not stop her."
The other survivors watched with bated breath as Kanetsugu slowly rose to his feet and balled his fists at his sides. His eyes were dark and haunted. They were the exact same shade as Kannika's, yet they looked so different. What if he was right and they were all dead? What would they do then? Octavia was used to having nothing to lose. Suddenly, she had everything and more.
"Did you see it?" she asked Kanetsugu. "Your sister . . . Did you actually see her die?"
"No," he said harshly. "I didn't."
Hope flowered in Octavia's chest. "Then she could still be alive."
"For her sake, I hope she isn't," Fuko mumbled from where she was sitting.
Kanetsugu growled at her.
The handmaid lifted her head, revealing tear-stained cheeks, and whispered, "I can think of quite a few fates worse than death. If they didn't kill her, it's because they found some other use for her . . . I don't want to imagine her suffering like that. She'd be better off dead."
"Don't say that," Octavia breathed.
"The same goes for your ward," Fuko continued, finding the courage to meet Sesshoumaru's gaze. "You wouldn't want that for her, would you? Yes, she'd be alive, but at what cost?"
"Stop," he said. "I've heard enough."
She lowered her head in an act of submission. "Forgive me, my lord. I meant no disrespect—"
"Get up. This isn't the time for self-abasement."
Fuko blinked in surprise, but did as she was told without questioning his motives.
The tanuki's implication had obviously upset him. Octavia couldn't really blame him for being angry. The thought of anyone hurting Rin made her stomach turn. She was still just a kid, yet she'd already suffered enough for a lifetime. Octavia closed her eyes and tried to think of something else. Everything was going to be fine. It was possible that Rin wasn't even in the stronghold anymore. Cyril or Nagisa had probably gotten her out before the invaders stormed the castle. Jaken would protect her. She didn't doubt that for a second.
Haru's eyes shone with fresh tears, and she could feel his body shaking. He was probably thinking about Nagisa. It was only natural that he would be. He'd already lost his entire family. Nagisa and his friends were all he had left of his home. If they died, he'd have nothing.
Octavia wrapped her arms around his middle and scooped him up, balancing him on her hip. The hanyou's posture instantly relaxed and he rested his head on her shoulder. "Don't worry," she whispered, brushing her lips against his brow. "Nagisa is strong. They all are. They'll be okay."
He nodded mutely.
"What now?" asked Aya, rubbing Fuko's leg affectionately.
"We wait for an opportunity," replied Sesshoumaru.
"And waste even more time?" Kanetsugu criticised. "Screw waiting. We should storm in there and take back what's ours before the bastards get too comfortable."
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Not until we know what we're dealing with."
"You said it was Ryukotsusei's banner, right?"
All heads once again turned to Octavia after hearing her question.
Sesshoumaru nodded in response.
She swallowed. "So . . . It's probably a member of his clan that's responsible for the attack."
"His clan died out a hundred years ago," Kanetsugu pointed out.
"What about Rayna?"
"Who?"
"His concubine. They say she was a witch."
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "What about her?"
The Dressmaker's words echoed through her mind.
There was a rumour that she was with child. Some believe she was killed, but others believe she fled and gave birth to a hanyou. Either way, she's long gone now.
Octavia looked down at Haru and asked, "How long do hanyou usually live?"
"It varies depending on the species," he answered. "And immortality is sort of optional for us. We can choose whether we want a human lifespan or a demon one."
"I didn't know that," muttered someone in the crowd.
"Neither did I," replied another, sneering at Haru's friends. "They really are freaks of nature."
Octavia glared at the youkai in question and held the young hanyou tighter, regretting saying anything at all.
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed once he realised what she was alluding to. If Ryukotsusei and Rayna had had a child together, Octavia doubted that they would be anything like Haru or even Inuyasha, who'd forsaken his immortality in exchange for a life with Kagome.
It was only a theory, but it was definitely the most plausible. What if it was true? And since spirit magic was genetic, the child might potentially have inherited Rayna's magic as well as Ryukotsusei's brute strength, making them virtually unstoppable.
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Author's Corner
Who is this mysterious usurper? Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a little longer to find out!
In the meantime, if you're looking for another Sess/OC fic to read, I've just started writing one called Serotonin over on AO3 that's set in the modern era. Basically, Sesshoumaru's life is a mess, and he ends up developing a love-hate relationship with his therapist. It's not going to be as long as this one, and the plot is a lot less complicated, so it's a nice change of pace for me when I'm in the mood to write something simple and sweet. If that sounds like something you might enjoy, please check it out and let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review :)