Author's Corner

There were so many lovely reviews on the last chapter! Thank you all immensely! I hope you all have the best year and that 2018 is kind to you (it's really blessing me so far with all these great new animes! *cough* TAMB *cough*) Enjoy the new chapter and as always don't forget to review!

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 29: A thousand knots

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"What did you think of the High Priest?"

"You were right. He's a total nutjob."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "A demon's intuition is never wrong."

Octavia dangled her legs over the edge of the wall. Waves crashed against the cliff hundreds of metres beneath her feet, but she wasn't afraid of falling. The sunset had turned the water orange, although patches of blue remained, replicating the atmosphere of a dream. The streets behind them were full of people getting ready for the night's festivities. Octavia tightened the sash around her new kimono from Nagisa. It was a silver yukata that looked like it was made of starlight. The sleeves were decorated with tiny olive-coloured leaves, and the obi was a silky red that matched the ribbon in her hair.

"I like it here," she said. "It's not at all what I pictured."

"What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. A frozen wasteland? This is more like a holiday destination."

"For you, perhaps. I can think of a dozen other places I'd rather be."

She stared at the blank space on his forehead where the crescent moon was meant to be and twisted her fingers together in her lap. "I wonder why the shadows haven't come for us yet. We did what they asked. What's keeping them?"

"We have only completed the first part," he said. "We still have to find their master."

"Fuck their master. I'm tired of going along with whatever they want. From now on, they have to do what we want."

"Your confidence is inspiring."

She flashed him a wry smile. "I know you're making fun of me, but I'm gonna take that as a compliment."

He closed his eyes and chuckled. Octavia kicked his leg, which earned her a gentle but unexpected shove. She squealed as his shoulder bumped hers and almost made her lose her balance. "If I fall, you'd better be prepared to jump in after me."

"Why? Can't you swim?"

"It wouldn't do me any good. I'd be unconscious by the time I hit the water, or the fall would break my legs. I'd drown either way, and you'd be responsible for my death."

"You humans can't do anything, can you?" His gaze was molten. "Let's say I did save you. What would be in it for me?"

"You'd avoid a lawsuit, for starters."

"I have no interest in whatever that is."

"Then what do you want?"

"I was thinking of something more along the lines of a reward."

She giggled. "I like this side of you."

He shot her a cynical look. She smiled and shifted her attention to the sunset. "Can I ask you something?" she murmured, her eyes fixed on the darkening sky. "It's okay if you don't want to answer. I might be overstepping, but—"

"Just say it."

She took a deep breath. "Naraku . . . Who was he?"

Sesshoumaru's pupils dilated. "Why do you want to know?"

"Rin told me about him once. She didn't go into much detail, but she said that you all hated him. Even you. I remember seeing his face in your memories, and to be honest, he scared the shit out of me. What did he do that was so terrible?"

"In the beginning, it was a matter of my pride being insulted. It became personal after he kidnapped Rin as a means of manipulating me into slaying Inuyasha for him. And . . ."

She scooted closer, eager to hear more. "And?"

"He killed someone important to me."

Shame spread through her chest. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"You don't have to apologise for being curious. Besides, what's done is done. The most important thing is that he'll never be able to harm anyone ever again."

"And the Shikon no Tama?"

"Destroyed," he said. "It will never plague this country again."

"Until the next thing comes along."

Haru bounded over to the wall and jumped up and down in excitement. He was dressed in his best robes and carrying a crown of huge white flowers.

Grinning, Octavia hopped down from the wall. "They're pretty."

He beamed up at her. "I know, right? They're called kori no otome."

The little boy placed the crown on top of her head. Nagisa appeared as she was thanking him and looked her up and down before nodding in approval. "I knew it would suit you."

Octavia flipped her hair and curtseyed. Haru applauded her, but Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and said, "Let's get this over with."

Nagisa chuckled. Taking the hanyou's paw, she led them through the bustling streets to the heart of the festivities. Haru chatted whilst they walked, recounting the day's events from his perspective. He'd attended school – and detention – then played a game of hide-and-seek with his friends, and finally gotten into trouble for using his mother's washing basket as a sledge. Laughing, Octavia told him about the times she'd gone sledging as a child. For some reason, none of the care homes she'd lived in had owned a sledge, so they'd scrounged spare bin bags from the cupboards and used those instead. They were superior to a proper sledge in almost every way. The material was slippery and easy to carry, but the downside was that they soon ended up torn and unusable. They made for a few hours of fun, though.

A crowd had congregated in a large courtyard not far from the hill in the middle of the city. The edges were adorned with tables full of food and velvet cushions, and there was bunting depicting eight-pointed stars everywhere. A band was stationed beside a stone wall, playing an upbeat melody that encouraged the people gathered there to dance. Haru spotted his friends in the crowd and waved at them, then darted away to join them.

Nagisa caught Octavia's eye and winked. "Well?" she asked, her eyes sliding to Sesshoumaru. "Are you going to stand there all night? Ask her if she wants to dance."

He frowned.

Nagisa heaved a sigh. "You men are all the same. No matter. I'll do it myself."

Octavia's eyes widened. "You'll do what?"

The demoness's eyes gleamed. "Dance with me."

"I'd rather stay here and—"

"It wasn't a request."

Octavia shrieked as Nagisa grabbed her hand and dragged her into the crowd. She met Sesshoumaru's gaze and mouthed 'help me', but he didn't budge, unfazed by her desperate glances in his direction. If anything, he seemed rather amused. Scowling, she showed him her middle finger.

"Are you always so angry?" Octavia's eyes snapped to Nagisa's. The demoness's painted lips curved into a lax smile as she reached down and lifted Octavia's hands onto her shoulders. Her blue hair tumbled down her front, tickling her exposed stomach. The ends swayed in sync with her movements, resembling thick strands of paint dangling out of a tube.

Octavia swallowed. "I don't feel like dancing right now."

"Are you afraid?"

"No. I just don't want to let my guard down, is all."

"Oh, live a little. It's just dancing. What's the worst that could happen?"

A shadow could be using you as its host and jump out and kill me when I least expect it. "I could twist my ankle," she said instead. "Then you'd have to carry me everywhere."

"I wouldn't mind. I'm used to it with Taro. He has a bad back, or so he claims." A smile pulled at Octavia's lips. "That's better," Nagisa murmured, guiding her into a spin. "Dancing is good for the soul. My mother used to say that everyone has thousands of threads inside of them. When you experience negative emotions, the threads tangle. The only way to make them go back to normal is to replace the negative emotions with positive ones, which is easier said than done. In my experience, a quick dance here and there helps with that."

"I'm not sure dancing will help my situation much."

"Because your magic is sealed?"

She stiffened. "How did you—"

"Mamoru-sama told me about it. Why did you tell him but not me?"

"It wasn't my secret to tell."

Her grey eyes slid to Sesshoumaru. "You were protecting him." It wasn't a question.

Octavia answered it regardless. "Yes."

Nagisa tilted her head sideways. "You humans are always so interesting. One minute you hate us, but the next you're willing to die for us. Maybe that's why we're so fascinated by you."

"Sesshoumaru must be the odd one out, then."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Octavia snorted. "Believe me, Sesshoumaru doesn't give a shit about humans. Except for Rin, but she's an anomaly. He's stuck with me at the moment, but the second he gets his youki back, he'll leave me in a ditch somewhere."

"You're wrong," Nagisa sighed. "Just because you aren't best friends doesn't mean you're not important to him. He hasn't left your side all day. Doesn't that tell you all you need to know?"

Octavia's eyes strayed to the edge of the courtyard where Sesshoumaru was standing. His head was tilted up towards the sky, showing off his immaculate side profile. She recalled the feeling of his shoulder bumping against hers and bit her lip. If there were threads inside of her, they must be tangled to oblivion. No amount of dancing would undo a lifetime of bad memories. Of course, there had been good times too, but negative emotions often overpowered positive ones. Still, she was willing to try.

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