EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 21: Change the world
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Octavia struggled to concentrate as the villagers thanked them for driving the bandits away. Her mind swam with questions. Whose voice had she heard? And what was with that ominous-sounding title? Okteviah True Jewel. She'd never heard her name pronounced that way before. Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru could have passed for a statue. Although the villagers weren't afraid to make their gratitude known, they remained wary of him. Octavia knew the feeling.
That night, she strolled along the edge of the lake, searching for a secluded spot to bathe. It didn't take her long to realise that she wasn't alone. "Jesus Christ," she muttered. "If you have something to say, just say it."
Sesshoumaru emerged from the shadows like a phantom. His long black hair matched the gloom of the forest. He would have been invisible if his eyes didn't glow in the dark. Octavia tossed her travel pack onto the grassy bank and crossed her arms.
"Have you no self-control?" he asked.
She frowned. "What?"
"You insist on wasting time we do not have by prioritising the problems of others over our own."
"I couldn't just watch them die."
"It was not our place to intervene—"
"It was a slaughter!" She balled her fists by her sides. "Those men would've massacred the whole village if I hadn't stayed and helped. And if you hadn't come, they probably would've killed me, too. After they'd finished raping me, that is."
"So, you admit that you were reckless?" said Sesshoumaru.
"It's better than being heartless," she hissed. "Have you considered the possibility that the shadows might be trying to teach you a lesson? Don't you think it's weird that your powers returned because you did something good? It can't be a coincidence. What if you're being punished?"
His posture stiffened. "For what sin?"
"Where do we even start?"
His expression turned hostile. "You aren't exactly innocent yourself. How many of your fellow mortals died today because of your actions?" She opened her mouth to say that the bandits had deserved to die, but he beat her to it. "Spare me the argument. Regardless of your reasoning, you have become a killer. Perhaps we're not so different, after all."
"Our motives for killing are totally different," she rebuked. "I did it to protect others, whereas you do it just because you can."
"You humans are always so hypocritical. Dealing with you is most tiresome."
"Your father didn't seem to think so."
"Do not drag my father into this. He was a hapless fool who was blind to your kind's true nature."
"You're the fool," she fired back. "Stop acting like you're better than me just because you're the son of a powerful Daiyoukai. My humanity doesn't make me any less important than you. Also, Rin is human, and unless I'm mistaken, you obviously don't find her tiresome."
"Rin is not relevant to this conversation, either."
"You're right. This is all about Inuyasha's mother, isn't it? You didn't hate her because she was human. You hated her because she got in the way of your parents' relationship. Except she didn't. The only thing she was guilty of was falling in love. What a fucking crime, am I right? Haven't you ever been in love?"
His eyes flashed. "No."
Octavia sighed. "Of course you haven't. Anyway, if you're going to blame someone, it should be your father, not her. He's the one who couldn't keep it in his pants."
Sesshoumaru was practically shaking. She had never received such a strong reaction from him before. "You aren't as clever as you think you are, human," he spat. "Does picking apart my flaws help distract you from your own? Unlike you, I see the world for what it is. You, on the other hand, are naive enough to think you can change it."
"At least I'm trying!" Tears of frustration flooded her eyes, transforming Sesshoumaru into a blurred outline. Her teeth punctured her tongue as she turned away. The tears escaped in thick droplets and rolled down her cheeks, mingling with the dirt and dried blood. She hated herself for letting him see them.
Sesshoumaru fell silent. Assuming that he'd left, she stopped holding her breath and sobbed without restraint. However, the sensation of a hand closing around her wrist confirmed that he was still there. Her breathing hastened as she felt him ease open her fist with his fingers. She shuddered as the pad of his thumb traced circles on her palm. His other hand crept up and pushed her hair to the side, exposing her nape. Heat sparked in her stomach as he moved closer and trailed the tips of his claws along her skin. His breath was so warm.
"Sesshoumaru," she breathed. "I—"
"Does it hurt?"
She paused. "What?"
"There is a surprising amount of blood for such a small wound."
Craning her head, she realised that he was referring to a cut just below her nape. The angle made it difficult to see, but a light tap from one of his claws confirmed its existence. She flinched at the pain brought about by his touch. "Shit. I didn't even notice. Is there any in my hair?"
He shook his head and withdrew from her personal space. "Sit," he said, patting a large rock by the water. She perched on the edge and watched him walk around the rock so that he was standing on the bank of the lake. Dropping to his knees, he thrust his hand into the water and snapped the stalk of a plant that had been growing in the shallows. Once he had it in his possession, he seated himself next to her and began stripping it of its leaves.
"What the hell is that?" she asked.
"The ketsueki no kabe plant," he answered. "Its leaves possess medicinal properties."
After tossing the naked stalk back into the water, Sesshoumaru laid a couple of the leaves over her wound. They had a peculiar texture—sticky instead of smooth, and heavy despite their thinness. Octavia concentrated on drying her tears as he worked. "Since when are you a doctor?" she sniffed.
"My mother insisted that I memorise the names and uses of every plant in this region."
"Were you close before she left?"
"Not particularly. My mother has always been somewhat of a cold fish. I take after her in that regard, or so I've been told."
Octavia's chest ached. Kannika had said as much. She returned to Moon Country after the affair became public. "Why didn't she take you with her?"
His hands tensed over her wound. She held her breath whilst he leaned back and removed his hands from her nape. "You should bathe," he said. "You reek of humans."
"I am human."
"Precisely."
She sighed through her nose. "Shouldn't I give the leaves a bit longer to work?"
"The ketsueki no kabe thrives in water, so waiting isn't necessary."
Nodding, she began untying her obi. Sesshoumaru didn't budge from his position beside the lake. Octavia coughed and angled her body away from him. "You can pretty much fuck off now."
"Leaving you alone in your current state would be most unwise."
"Oh, please. I've had paper cuts worse than this."
"I was referring to your lack of powers," he clarified. "Should anyone stumble upon you bathing, you would be unable to fend them off on your own."
"Fine," she grumbled. "Don't you dare look, though."
He snorted. "That won't be an issue."
She waited until his back was turned to undress and wade into the freezing water. Cursing, she flailed her arms and legs in an attempt to distract herself from the cold, before submerging herself. Her foot made contact with something soft and slippery, prompting her to lose her balance and shriek as her head sank underwater. She resurfaced with a mouth full of liquid. Sesshoumaru chuckled from the bank. She scowled and scrubbed herself clean. As the blood and dirt drifted away with the current, so did her anger. Although she disagreed with the majority of what he'd said, he'd been right about one thing. She had been reckless. And regardless of his feelings towards humans, he'd still gone out of his way to save her.
"I'm getting out," she said. "Don't even think about turning around until I say so, okay?"
"I have zero interest in seeing you naked, human. You, however, seem to want to be seen."
"I do not!" Stapling her eyes to the back of his head, Octavia stepped onto the bank and dried herself with her old clothes. Afterwards, she threw on her new ones and slid her feet into her sandals. She trudged around the rock that Sesshoumaru was sitting on so that she was facing him, and planted her hands on her hips. "You're the narcissist, not me."
"Vanity doesn't always equal narcissism," he said. "You are a prime example of that."
"I'm not vain."
"I beg to differ." Her frown deepened as he rose from the rock and moved to stand at the water's edge. "Being proud is not something to be ashamed of. Having a strong sense of self-worth is commendable. It will do you well to remember that."
Was that a compliment? She waited for him to follow it up with an insult, but he appeared to have said all he intended to. Her hand strayed to her nape, where the leaves from the ketsueki no kabe were still pressed flush against her skin.
"Are you going to stand there all night?"
Her eyes widened at his bluntness. "Is this your way of telling me to get lost?"
"Unlike you, I require no protection to bathe."
"Oh. Right. I'll see you later, then." She paused halfway up the bank before fumbling around in her pack for the kosode she'd bought him. "Here," she said, jogging back down the slope and dumping it in his arms. "I know it's kind of ugly, but it was the nicest one I could find." His face betrayed nothing. "You're supposed to say thank you."
"Thank you."
She blinked in surprise. "You're a rubbish actor, you know that?"
"Be grateful that I even bothered."
She bit her lip to hide her smile. Embarrassment flowered in her cheeks when she realised he'd seen it. "Try not to drown," she muttered before fleeing the scene.
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The awkwardness had worn off by morning. Octavia thanked the headman and his wife for giving her a bed for the night before following the path to the main road. Sesshoumaru was waiting for her at the end of the trail. She felt a rush of pride when she noticed what he was wearing. "You look nice."
"Hn."
She rubbed her unblemished nape and grinned. "The leaves worked. My neck feels a lot better now."
He waited for her to adjust the straps on her travel pack before marching off without a word. Rolling her eyes, she matched his pace and walked beside him in silence. The most surprising thing about being in the past was how quiet everything was. She hadn't realised how loud life in the present had been. Despite being in a time period that was famous for its wars, she'd never felt more at peace.
They didn't speak to each other again until mid-afternoon. To her shock, Sesshoumaru was the one to kickstart the conversation. "We will soon be arriving in a large trading city. It was built by youkai for youkai; therefore, it is concealed by a glamour that renders it invisible to humans."
"How will I see it, then?"
"The illusion only works if viewed from a distance."
"Cool. And we're going there because . . ."
"It is the most direct route to the northern coast."
"But won't they try to kill me? I don't exactly look like a youkai. Apart from my white devil eyes, of course."
"If my suspicions are correct, you won't be the only human there."
Her lips parted in realisation. "You're looking for that auction that Ryuuya told us about."
"Indeed."
"What are we going to do if we find it?"
It took him a moment to answer. "I suppose your theory about my powers being linked to my morals will be put to the test. If you are right, I will end the treachery there and then."
"And if I'm wrong?"
"Then we will have no choice but to rely on your prowess with a bucket."
She laughed as two mountains appeared on the horizon. At first, the space between them looked empty, but as they drew closer, a city appeared in the gap like a mirage.
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Author's Corner
Before all you plant experts come for me, I'm fully aware that the ketsueki no kabe doesn't exist. I just like the idea of something existing in the past but leaving no trace after it eventually disappears. I also think that if spirits and demons can exist in the Inuyasha universe, then so can weird variations of flora and fauna.