EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 77: Regret

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The world on the other side of the crack was almost identical to his own – the only difference being that it was still daytime here, whereas in his world, the sun had set hours ago. Inuyasha glanced around the stable cautiously, half expecting something to jump out at him, then meandered towards the exit. The field outside looked the same too, as did Sango and Miroku's hut. Inuyasha sprinted across the grass and paused at the foot of their porch, his heart racing as he failed to detect theirs and their children's scents. Even Kagome's was absent.

Before he could burst in and begin a thorough search of the premises, the straw flap was lifted and a young woman in a pink kimono stepped out. Her eyes widened when she saw him, but she didn't scream or shout. She just stood there, gawping at him like he was the weirdo.

"Who the hell are you!" he barked, pointing the Tessaiga at her.

"Aieee!" she shrieked, raising her hands. "Don't hurt us!"

"Us? What do you—"

"Is something wrong, darling?" a young man dressed in farmer's robes asked, sticking his head out of the doorway. He gasped when he saw Inuyasha and hid behind the woman. "A bandit!" he cried. "We don't want any trouble, mister! Please, take whatever you want and go—"

"What's going on out there!" a voice bellowed from inside.

The pair flinched.

"Nothing, Ma!" the man shouted. "It's just a salesman!"

"Well, tell him to get lost or I'll come out and send him packing myself!"

"Yes, Ma!"

Inuyasha lowered his sword. "What the . . ."

The young woman clasped her hands together and shot him a desperate look. "Please don't kill us," she begged. "We ain't got much, but we can pay—"

"I don't want your stupid money!" Inuyasha growled. "I wanna know where my friends are! This is their house! What did you do to them? Tell me!"

"We don't know what you're talking about," the man stammered. "This is our house."

"Bullshit."

"It is! I swear! I can show you the paperwork if you want—"

"Do I have to do everything myself!" An old woman with a stern face stomped out of the hut and waved her fist at Inuyasha angrily. "Begone, thief! You'll get nothing from us! No coin no wares no nothing! Now shoo! Before I beat you to a pulp! That giant sword of yours don't scare me!"

Inuyasha sheathed the Tessaiga and fled. Running away from an elderly woman was hardly his finest moment, but he hadn't fancied his chances against her. He didn't stop running until he reached his and Kagome's hut on the outskirts of the village. She had to be there. He had no idea what he was going to do if she wasn't, but there was no sense in worrying about that yet.

He searched the inside of the hut first. When he was absolutely certain that it was empty, he ran back outside and around the side of the hut to the vegetable patch in their garden. It was a lot bigger than he'd remembered, and noticeably less dead. The cabbages looked thick and healthy, with smooth, unblemished leaves, and the green beans were actually green for a change.

She did it. Way to go, Kagome.

Grinning like an idiot, he walked around the garden slowly, searching for her amongst the greenery.

"You've got some nerve trying to steal from my garden!" a voice boomed from behind him.

Inuyasha jolted. Whoever the voice belonged to, they'd somehow managed to sneak up on him. Why hadn't he smelled them coming?

Furious, he whirled around and reached for the Tessaiga. His hand froze on the hilt as he locked eyes with the owner of the voice, before lowering completely. "What the fuck?" he muttered.

The old man in front of him folded his arms and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "What're you cussing for? You're the one who's trespassing on someone else's land! Don't you know who you're dealing with? I've half a mind to grind you down and turn you into fertiliser!"

Inuyasha could only stare with his mouth hanging open in shock.

The old man frowned when he didn't respond, but thankfully didn't follow through with his threat. Inuyasha studied his appearance intently. His long white hair was bound at the bottom with a scarlet ribbon, and his robes were a deep shade of green. His tanned face was laden with wrinkles, making his nose look bigger and his eyebrows smaller, whilst his eyes were in a permanent squinting state. But Inuyasha didn't really care about any of those features . . . The cause of his alarm was located on top of the old man's head, in the form of two furry triangular ears.

"Who are you?" he whispered shakily.

"The name's Inuyasha," replied the old man. "Now who the hell are you?"

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Shippo's eyelids peeled open to reveal a pair of bright emerald irises. Rin leaned over him and smiled brightly, moving his hair away from his face with her fingers. He groaned in pain and glanced down at his bandaged shoulder, then up at Rin again, who was still smiling.

"Am I dead?" he wheezed.

She shook her head. "No. Our healers saved you."

His brow creased and he stole a peek at Tsunayoshi. The usurper was sitting cross-legged beside her, staring at the injured kitsune intensely.

Shippo swallowed and quickly averted his gaze. "Why?"

"My bride has persuaded me to spare you," Tsunayoshi answered.

"Bride?" Shippo squeaked, eyes bulging as he spoke. "What are you . . ."

Rin touched his cheek. "It's okay," she said gently. "You don't have to be afraid. My lord promised to heal you if I accepted his proposal. Wasn't that generous of him?"

"But he's—You can't—" Shippo's voice trailed away when he noticed the red and white beads around his neck. He forced himself to sit up in the futon and poked one of the beads with his thumb. "Where did these come from?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Her face fell. "I'm sorry, Shippo-chan. I hope you can forgive me."

She held his stare as she shuffled backwards, trying to convey what her plan was with nothing but her eyes. She needed him to play along or else Tsunayoshi would figure out that the necklace was a sham and kill him.

The usurper stared at her expectantly, awaiting further instructions. She suddenly realised how much power she had over him and fought the urge to grin. Manipulation was a truly incredible tool. No wonder Naraku had liked it so much. She wondered if that made her a bad person or not.

"Speak the word of subjugation to complete the binding spell, my lord," she said.

Shippo gasped as Tsunayoshi smiled menacingly.

"Kneel," he growled.

To Rin's immense joy, Shippo caught on to what was happening just in time and shot forwards, landing head-first in the sheets. It must have hurt because he uttered a loud groan, but maintained the position perfectly. He'd become quite the actor in recent years. All that time he'd spent watching Inuyasha face plant the ground had clearly paid off.

Tsunayoshi roared with laughter. "Extraordinary! Simply extraordinary!" He gathered his composure and shifted his attention back to Rin, who kept her face neutral as he spoke. "So this is why Sesshoumaru kept you around. He was using you. And you didn't even realise. Poor lonely little Rin, so desperate for love and approval. You would've done anything for him, wouldn't you?"

I still would, she thought as Tsunayoshi took her hands and brought them closer to his mouth.

"Little fox," he said after he'd finished licking her knuckles.

Shippo raised his head obediently.

"I believe a thank you is in order."

He bowed as low as he could manage. "Thank you for saving my life. You won't regret it."

Tsunayoshi smirked. "Ensure that I don't."

Rin's heart swelled with pride at the convincingly earnest look on Shippo's face. "So, uh . . . What's going to happen to me now?" he asked nervously.

"That depends," said Tsunayoshi. "It would do my bride good to have a friend, but truth be told, I'm a little reluctant to leave her alone with you. She has betrayed you, after all. How can I be certain that you won't attack her during my absence?"

"I won't," Shippo promised. "I would never, ever hurt her."

"I hope that's true, little fox. For your sake."

Rin smiled at Tsunayoshi sweetly. "Don't worry, my lord. I'll be fine. He couldn't hurt me even if he wanted to. The necklace would subjugate him permanently, you see, since I'm the one who made it. So unless he wants to be paralysed for life, he can't lay a finger on me."

Tsunayoshi smirked. "Clever girl."

Shippo sat quietly, listening to her spew lie after lie. She could only imagine what he must think of her. Kagome and Sango wouldn't have let Tsunayoshi treat them the way that she was letting him treat her. But unlike them, she was neither physically strong nor gifted with magical abilities. If she ever dared to speak out of turn, or hurt him in some way, she'd have no way of defending herself. Which left her with one option – she needed to make him think that she no longer cared for Lord Sesshoumaru and loved him instead. If he bought into the lie, he might finally let his guard down. Then she could put an end to his tyranny and escape with her friends.

But she had to convince him first, which was easier said than done.

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Inuyasha stared at the old man in disbelief, struggling to process what he'd just learned. Was this someone's idea of a joke? Or a dream, perhaps? It had to be. There was no way that this man actually was him . . . right?

In the end, all he managed to stammer was, "B-But that's my name!"

The old man laughed. "I find that hard to believe. Was your father a powerful Daiyoukai, too?"

"Yes! And my mother was a princess."

"So was mine! We got a lot in common, kid."

Inuyasha watched despairingly as the old man ambled over to the spot where the radishes were growing and struggled to kneel. He then wrapped his bony hands around the root and pulled, but the vegetable stayed firmly buried in the soil. He kept pulling until Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore and marched over to help. Thanks to his assistance, the radish soon broke the surface before being dragged out completely, roots and all.

The old man beamed at him, then wiped the radish on his kosode. "That was nice of you," he said. "Here. You have it."

Inuyasha accepted the vegetable awkwardly. "Uh . . . Thanks?"

He sighed as the old man tried to unearth a second one, then rolled up his sleeves.

"Just so you know, I wasn't trying to steal nothing," he muttered as he dug a pit with his hands, freeing another radish. "I was looking for someone. My friends live somewhere nearby, but they've disappeared. I went to their hut to search for them and there were these people living in it that I'd never seen before. And now Kagome is—"

"You know my wife?" the old man interrupted excitedly.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. Is she around?"

"I'm afraid not. She's visiting our grandson. I would've gone with her, but my back ain't so good these days, so I'm looking after the house 'til she gets back."

"You have kids?"

"Yup. Two, to be precise."

He breathed a laugh.

"Is something funny?"

"No," Inuyasha said sheepishly. "I just . . . You must be happy."

The old man smiled warmly. "I am," he mumbled. "It ain't been easy, mind you. I've seen some real shit out there, and being a hanyou is already tough enough without all that other shit piled on top. But I don't need to tell you that, do I? You look like you've been through plenty yourself."

Inuyasha kept his eyes fixed on the vegetable patch. If this was his future self like he suspected, it sounded like he was living a good life. He had children and at least one grandchild – all of which he seemed to be on speaking terms with, so he couldn't have messed them up that badly – and he and Kagome were still married. If this was what was in store for them later on down the line, he'd embrace it with open arms. But there was one glaring issue that he just couldn't shake.

"Where are Sango and Miroku?" he asked softly.

The old man's brows lifted in surprise. "You don't know?"

Inuyasha shook his head.

"They passed away recently. Him in the summer and her the following spring. They were both pretty old. Their children sold the house to a young couple and their family. Nice bunch. Good at card games. Noisy, though. Especially the old bag. Miroku would have liked her."

Inuyasha's throat felt tight. "Do you miss them?"

"All the time." He looked at Inuyasha strangely. "Did you know them?"

"Sort of. They were good people."

"The best of humanity," his future self agreed.

Inuyasha turned and pretended to pick some green beans so that the old man wouldn't see his tears. There was no need for him to get emotional. His two best friends might be dead in this world, but in his, they were both alive and well. Why was he wasting his time here? He needed to get back to his own world before something bad happened. The last thing he wanted was to get stuck in the future because the portals all mysteriously decided to close without warning.

"I don't mean to pry, kid, but who exactly are you looking for?"

"My wife," he said. "But it doesn't matter. She's not here."

That seemed to placate him because the old man chose to steer the conversation towards something else. "I had a sword like that once," he said, looking down at the Tessaiga fondly. "It was my father's. Saved my life more times than I can count. Don't have it anymore, though."

"Why not?"

"I left it at my brother's grave."

Inuyasha blinked. "You left it where?"

"What are you, deaf? I said I left it at my brother's grave."

What the fuck?

". . . Sesshoumaru is dead?"

The old man nodded sadly. He didn't ask how Inuyasha knew his name. Inuyasha couldn't tell if it was because of his age or because he was too wrapped up in his feelings for it to even cross his mind.

"But that's impossible! He's Sesshoumaru! What the hell happened?"

"He was murdered," the old man whispered. "I didn't believe it at first. It took seeing it with my own eyes to accept that he was never coming back. I still remember what he looked like, lying there all alone in the snow. It sounds crazy, but I expected him to just get up and walk away like he always did. But he didn't . . . I can't help but feel like it was sort of my fault."

"Who killed him?"

He frowned and scratched behind one of his ears. "I can't remember her name," he said finally. "Looks like my back ain't the only thing that's failing, eh?"

Inuyasha could feel himself shaking. "But you have to!" he yelled. "How could you forget something like that!"

"I know, I know. Ain't my fault, though. Your noggin's bound to bail on you eventually. It happens to the best of us."

Inuyasha balled his hands into fists and stared at the dirt. "I can't believe he's gone."

The old man wiped his hands on a cloth and offered it to him. Inuyasha accepted the cloth wordlessly, gripping it tightly as he cleaned the soil from between his fingers.

"Why was it your fault?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

"You said you felt responsible. Why?"

The old man sighed. "Because I'm the reason she went with him. She only left because she felt guilty for hurting me. She didn't mean to, mind you. It was an accident. She was our problem, not his. I should've forced her to stay in the village. If I had, he'd probably still be alive."

Inuyasha's pulse quickened. "Hold on. Are you talking about Octavia?"

"That's it! Her name was Octavia! I remember now—"

"Bullshit," he snapped. "You're telling me that Kagome's cousin killed Sesshoumaru? No fucking way. He would've sliced her in half before she could so much as pinch him."

"I thought so too, but she'd gotten stronger during their time together. Dangerous, even. He didn't go down easy, though. Her injuries were so bad that she ended up succumbing to them."

Inuyasha struggled to think of a response to that.

"Why'd she do it?" he asked finally. "I know they got off on the wrong foot before, but she didn't seem like the type of person who could do something like that. What changed?"

"We never knew the reason," the old man replied with a frown. "But apparently it had something to do with a prophecy, though to be honest, I always thought that was a load of balls."

The sun blazed down on them, its harsh, unforgiving rays scorching Inuyasha's scalp. He stared at his future self carefully, then murmured, "Holy shit. You miss him, don't you?"

"Of course I do. He was my brother."

"And? What about all the shit he put you through? He tried to kill you!"

The old man smiled. "No, he didn't. If he'd wanted to kill me, I wouldn't be here now."

"But he hurt you!" Inuyasha argued. "You were terrified of him. Don't you remember? Or did you forget that, too? He treated you like garbage—no, he treated you worse than garbage. All because of your vile, disgusting human blood. It didn't stop him from letting Rin follow him everywhere like a lost kitten, though, so it couldn't have bothered him that much. Why did he take care of her but not you? Why was she worth the effort when you weren't? Why did he hate you so much?"

"I ain't saying I forgive him, but there's no point hating someone who's been dead for fifty years. As for the kid . . . I guess she was just lucky. I've never believed in destiny. I like to think that we have some control over who we let into our hearts, but certain people can sneak up on you. They get inside your head. And once they're there, they don't leave. You can't fight it. All you can do is accept it for what it is. Truth is, she just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

Inuyasha's eyes burned with fresh tears.

"What's your deal?" his future self asked, puzzled. "Why are you so riled up about this?"

"I'm angry because I remember," he growled. "Unlike you, I remember it all."

The old man squinted his eyes even more and leaned forwards on his haunches. "You look familiar," he mumbled distantly, then sniffed him for good measure. "I recognise your scent, too. Your eyes are exactly like mine, and your ears . . . Do I know you?"

Inuyasha laughed cruelly. "You tell me."

Blinking away his tears, he stood and turned to face the forest. He managed to pick out the Tree of Ages and noted that it had a faint blue glow. Was it responsible for the cracks, or had they been caused by something less worldly and a thousand times more dangerous?

"Whoever you are," the old man said softly. "If you find a way to save my brother, do it."

"You just said he's been dead for fifty years," Inuyasha answered with a frown.

"So was Kikyo."

He stiffened. "No way. I'm not digging up that asshole's bones and baking him a new body out of clay. Not after how things ended last time."

"That's not what I mean and you know it."

Inuyasha swallowed. Damn it. Does he know who I am or not?

The old man flashed him another sad smile. "Go home," he said. "Your wife and friends will be waiting for you. You won't find 'em here, so hurry along now. Before the sun sets."

Nodding, Inuyasha walked away from the garden with his conscience weighing heavy. Sesshoumaru had almost died once before when they'd fought Magatsuhi. He remembered the panic he'd felt when the ancient demon's arm had ruptured Sesshoumaru's chest, and the sheer terror that had followed when his body had been engulfed in monstrous limbs that had tried to crush him. Despite everything he'd done, Inuyasha had wanted to save him then. Even now, the knowledge that the Sesshoumaru from this world was gone made his youki bristle furiously. Was it instinct? Or had his hatred disappeared a while ago—if it had even been hatred to begin with?

Clenching his jaw, Inuyasha quickly retraced his steps. He still felt a great deal of resentment towards his half-brother, but the last thing he wanted was to be complicit in his murder.

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Author's Corner

I've personally never liked the fandom's interpretation that Inuyasha would outlive Kagome because of his demonic genes. The idea of him mourning her and then spending centuries heartbroken and alone is just too sad for me, and I'm not really a fan of the trope where Kagome somehow manages to become immortal in order to stay with him either. Whilst I love the concept of the latter, I don't think it works for their dynamic or characterisations.

In this fic, it's mentioned that half-demons have the ability to choose whether they want a human or demon lifespan, so Inuyasha and Kagome will both age at the same speed and can therefore grow old together. My own headcanon is that they go on to have two children (a girl and a boy), who eventually grow up and move out, enabling Inuyasha and Kagome to spend the rest of their days living a peaceful life in the countryside. They actually get to raise their children in this scenario too, and don't spend fourteen years trapped inside a pearl whilst their daughter is basically sold into slavery... Thanks for that Trashahime.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. How did you all react to this timeline's version of Octavia being responsible for Sesshoumaru's death? Leave a comment and let me know!