Author's Corner

Hi everyone! Sorry for the unexpected delay, I've been super busy with work and just life in general. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you all continue to as we push onwards!

Disclaimer: Surprise, I still don't own Inuyasha (why do we still have to write this is Anne Rice even still around?)

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 28: The flying serpent

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"Never heard of it," Taro muttered. "Sorry."

"Me neither," said Nagisa.

"What about a woman called Asuka?" Octavia pressed. "She wears a yellow martial arts uniform, and she has a rope infused with miko blood. Have you ever met anyone like that?"

They shook their heads. Octavia's shoulders slumped in defeat. It was worth a try, she thought.

Nagisa smiled at her. "The High Priest might know something. He knows more about the outside world than anyone. Excluding me, of course. He might be able to help you. We'll take you to him if you like." Her eyes shifted to Sesshoumaru, who looked as bored as ever. "You should come, too. You might learn something worth your while."

"I will not listen to the ravings of a heretic."

"Please come," Octavia whispered. "You never know, I might need back-up."

Her lips curved into a smile when he sighed and said, "As you wish."

Taro and Nagisa led them to a steep hill in the city centre. The wall of steps loomed over them like a giant. When they finally made it to the temple at the summit, Octavia was dripping with sweat. Stopping to catch her breath, she gazed down at the city, which was obscured by clouds. The goddess towers were the only buildings tall enough to break through the cloud cover, reaching up towards the sky. Something shifted beneath the clouds. Squinting her eyes, she saw a ribbon-like shape weaving in and out of them. Its long, serpentine body made an arch above the clouds before plunging back under. Octavia gasped as the creature sailed away on the air currents.

"Is this place some kind of hotspot for dragons?" she joked.

"It seems that way," Sesshoumaru agreed. It was impossible not to notice the disdain in his voice.

"Why don't you like them?"

"My mother has always been cautious of sky dragons. She claims that they are omens of death."

"Is she superstitious?"

"Not particularly. She is fond of fables, though. There was one she used to tell me when I was a child. It was about a mortal woman named Kiyohime who fell in love with a disinterested monk. After being rejected by him, she transformed into a hideous flying serpent and killed him in a fit of rage. Love isn't to be trusted, she said. Once scorned, Kiyohime forgot the love she once held for the monk and slaughtered him."

"It sounds like it was more of an infatuation than love," Octavia said. "If she really loved him, she wouldn't have been able to hurt him. Even if he was a bit of a prick."

Sesshoumaru chuckled.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You are so very human," he replied.

"I'm right though, aren't I?"

"On the contrary. In fact, I'm dubious that love even exists."

Nagisa whistled, beckoning them inside the temple. Pillars lined the walkway leading up to the altar, and there were murals strewn across the walls, depicting four large spheres surrounded by hundreds of eight-pointed stars. Among them was a black dragon with fiery orange eyes, juxtaposed by a golden bird with purple eyes. They weren't the only elements that stood out from all the rest. A spider dangled from a crimson thread, balancing above an hourglass with metal gears inside.

The altar housed four brass statues—two men and two women, to be precise. Octavia had already guessed their identities before Nagisa spoke their names. "You stand before the God Stars: Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimitama and Sakimitama. The four pieces of Seishin's soul . . ."

"They don't look like stars," Octavia said.

"And I don't look like a dragon," Nagisa countered. "Appearances can be deceiving."

"Where is the heretic?" asked Sesshoumaru.

Octavia swatted his shoulder. "Stop calling him that."

Nagisa cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Hellooooo! Mamoru-sama! Are you in here!" Her voice echoed through the temple. "I know you're there! I can smell you! Don't you want to meet the star mage!"

A muffled crash sounded from below the altar. One of the tatami mats popped out of the floor and a youkai came scurrying out from underneath. He had a bull's head, a human's torso and the legs of a lion. He climbed out of the basement and smoothed the wrinkles in his robes, before falling to his knees in front of Octavia. "By the God Stars," he murmured. "Is this a trick, Nagisa-kun?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't believe it. A living, breathing star mage."

Octavia flashed him an awkward smile. "That's me. Hello!"

"Her name is Octavia," Nagisa said. "And this is Sesshoumaru. He's a—"

"Daiyoukai? Yes, I'm well aware. It's an honour to meet you both." He bowed to them. Octavia returned the gesture, but Sesshoumaru remained as still as the brass statues of the God Stars. "Let us take a walk in the garden," suggested the High Priest. "We have much to discuss."

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The garden was composed of little white stones. A pair of monks were raking them into patterns. Octavia smiled at them as she passed, prompting them to whisper to each other, their duties forgotten. The High Priest had asked to speak to her in private, so it was just the two of them. Sesshoumaru had protested at first, but Nagisa managed to convince him that he meant her no harm.

Mamoru brought her to a small pond full of koi fish and sat on the bench facing it. "Please sit. I know all about your current predicament, my child."

Her brows lifted in surprise. "You do? How?"

"I'm a priest. We can sense the energy within others from yards away, but you and the western lord are the exceptions to the rule." She took a seat beside him and watched the fish swimming around in the water. "I can't imagine losing my youki. He must be very upset." He must have sensed her reluctance because he looked her in the eye and said, "You needn't be so afraid. Our island is the safest place in the world. No harm will befall you here. I give you my word."

If you wish to reclaim what you have lost, you must seek out my master.

"Nowhere is safe these days. Not with those creatures running amok."

"What creatures?"

There was no sense lying now. "The ones that did this to us," she whispered. "They wanted us to come here. I think they need something from us. Or maybe it's just me. I don't know. We don't even know what they are."

"What do they look like?"

"It's hard to explain. They're like shadows, but nothing's casting them."

"Shadows, you say?" Mamoru rubbed his chin. "It might be a coincidence, but there was once a dark god known only as the Shadow. Its likeness is depicted on the temple walls." Octavia shivered, remembering the black dragon with blazing orange eyes. "There's no need to be frightened. It was vanquished long ago by a being of pure light."

"Can you think of anything that might help us get back to the way we were?"

"This is beyond me, my child. I've never heard of a star mage's powers being sealed before. Whatever did this to you is a force to be reckoned with."

Despair coiled around her heart like a snake. "Okay, forget about me. What about Sesshoumaru? There must be something you can do. Can't his youki be replaced? He only got caught up in all of this because of me. Our meeting was a fluke. He has nothing to do with that stupid prophecy."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you think it's strange that your paths just so happened to cross that night?"

"Not really."

The High Priest seemed to think otherwise. "Everything happens for a reason. There's a theory that our souls are bound to others long before we're born, and when we're reincarnated, they're drawn to those people despite being in new bodies. When strong bonds are formed between people, those bonds persevere. It doesn't matter whether it's between friends, families, lovers, or even enemies. If the bond is powerful enough, it can last until the end of time."

"But that's like destiny. There's no such thing. Is there?"

Mamoru gave her a knowing smile. He had a point. Out of all the people she could have run into that night, it was weird that it had been Sesshoumaru and his companions. If she had taken a different path through the forest, would things have been different? Or would they have found each other, anyway? They might not have been in the mess they were in now if she'd never stumbled upon their campsite. Or maybe she'd be in an even worse mess. The shadows might very well have come for her sooner if Sesshoumaru hadn't been in the picture.

Mamoru placed a hand on her shoulder. "I will pray to the God Stars for guidance. You ought to, as well. They're your gods too, after all." She nodded absently. "Is there anything else you wish to ask me?"

"Actually, there is. Have you ever heard of the Iwa Faction?"

He shook his head. "I haven't. What is it?"

"I don't know. We had a run-in with their second-in-command a few days ago." Her voice cracked when she added, "I beat the shit out of her."

"Do you feel guilty?"

"A bit. I was so angry, though."

"Did she deserve it?" That was the last thing she'd expected him to say. What sort of priest was he?

"Who am I to decide that?"

"Sometimes revenge is warranted. People are entitled to their opinions. In the end, it is our actions that reveal our true selves, not our thoughts and morals. Take the western lord, for instance. He claims that he doesn't care what becomes of you, but his actions prove otherwise. Deep down, his soul remembers yours."

Her hand inched towards the nape of her neck, where Sesshoumaru had pressed the medicinal leaves to her skin.

Don't you think it's strange that your paths just so happened to cross that night?

She didn't remember telling the High Priest how they'd met.

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Author's Corner

Bit of a cruel coincidence that his dad was killed by a dragon when he already saw them as a bad omen.

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