Author's Corner

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to victoriarogue for leaving such fantastic reviews on the earlier chapters. It felt very surreal witnessing your reactions to events that I wrote years ago, and reading your comments honestly made my day. If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with this story in spite of its many flaws lol. Hell Doctor is one of the best ongoing Sess/OC fics I've read to date, so if you're reading this trash fic and you haven't checked that masterpiece out already, you definitely should. It's beautifully written and the characters are all absolutely brilliant. It also heavily supports my theory that Sesshoumaru has a thing for people who can kick his ass.

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 83: Lucid

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"A long time ago – before Touga and I even crossed paths – I became acquainted with a peculiar young woman and her adopted daughter. The child's name was Suitopi, and she was no ordinary child, for she was blessed with the gift of foresight."

"Who was the woman?" Octavia asked curiously.

"She never told me her name," Kumoshi replied. "But she had strange pinkish eyes, and she wore a cloak with the hood pulled all the way up regardless of the weather."

Octavia's breath hitched. She really shouldn't have been so surprised. The Dressmaker had told her about her history with Midoriko. It made sense that she would take care of the miko's daughter in her absence. Was that what she'd meant when she'd spoken about their promise?

"You said Suitopi had a vision about me," Octavia started. "What did she see?"

Kumoshi's eyes darkened. "She saw the end of everything."

Kanetsugu's brow pinched, yet his lips remained sealed in spite of the revelation.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?" Totosai cut in. "I told you that prophecy back when we first met. The implication was there all along. Nothing has changed."

"You're wrong," she said. "Something has changed."

"What?"

"Me. I've changed. Before I came here, I had no idea who I was or what I was capable of. I was scared all the time, and I hated myself for it. But I don't feel that way anymore. I know exactly who I am. And more importantly, I think I finally understand what I was brought here to do."

The three demons stared at her expectantly.

"My brother is actively trying to commit genocide," she hissed. "He might be my family, but I can't use that as an excuse to ignore what he's doing. His magic doesn't work on me. Of course, neither does mine, but I'm still the only one who stands a chance against him."

"You would oppose your own flesh and blood for our sakes?" whispered Totosai.

Her eyes blazed. "I'd do it for less than that. The bastard made it personal when he tried to kill me. I'm usually all for second chances, but not this time . . . The next time I see him, I'll make him wish he'd been born an only child."

"You're just like her," Kumoshi chuckled. "Suitopi wasn't very forgiving, either."

Octavia balled her hands into fists. "So, what happens now? I take it the deal is off?"

Totosai frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"I didn't kill him."

He and Kumoshi exchanged a glance.

"You said that you needed his fangs to make Sesshoumaru a new set of armour," she snapped. "Don't tell me you forgot?"

"Of course he hasn't," Kumoshi said. "And the deal is still on as far as I'm concerned. You don't have to kill me, little mage. I would be honoured to bestow upon you whatever it is you need."

"Really?"

He nodded.

She and Kanetsugu watched as Totosai pulled out a comically large pair of pliers and beckoned for the giant hound to come closer. "Open wide!" he sang with a gleam in his eye.

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The door had been locked for over twenty-four hours. Rin had spent the majority of that time staring blankly at the wall opposite the bed, imagining that she was somewhere else. Her skin burned where Tsunayoshi had touched her, and her insides felt like they were on a ship that was sailing across a stormy sea. In an effort to soothe herself, she'd resorted to counting the hundreds of lilies that were painted on the walls around her. She'd convinced herself that if she somehow managed to count them all, then everything would be all right.

It had worked once. After burying her family in the hard soil beside their hut, she'd scrubbed at the ruined floor for hours on end, but the bloodstains refused to come out. They peered up at her with glowing red eyes, like hungry termites gnawing through the wood. Her brothers had died outside defending their home, so all evidence of their struggle had been washed away by the rain, but the spots where her parents had drawn their last breaths were marked for the rest of eternity.

Every night after that, before she went to sleep, she'd counted those bloodstains as if they were sheep, believing that if she someday counted them all, it would bring her family back to life. That obviously never came to pass, but things did eventually change for the better. Because on the same day that she finished counting, she found a new family – or rather, they found her.

Rin fell asleep and dreamed of the place where her life had ended and subsequently began anew. Interestingly, there were no wolves in her dream, and the forest was dyed a rich marmalade orange by the setting sun. The sky was on fire, but she wasn't anxious or afraid. In fact, she'd never felt more alive.

She followed the winding path to a babbling brook, where something unusual was taking place. The water flowed in parallel directions, before meeting in the middle to form a bridge of froth and foam. Night descended upon the forest faster than she could blink, and with it came an even stranger sight. The water was glowing. It rushed up and down the river in strong torrents of silver, shimmering like starlight compressed into liquid form.

This way.

Lifting her head, her eyes landed on the elusive butterfly from before, watching her from the other side of the brook. Without taking her eyes off it, she turned the hem of her kimono over and quickly waded through the water. She was almost at the other bank when the butterfly suddenly flapped its wings and flew away with zero regards for her feelings.

"Wait!" she called after it.

The trees transformed into wood-panelled walls with plum blossoms painted on them. Rin looked down and saw that the grass beneath her feet had been replaced by a fleecy green rug that tickled between her toes. She chased the butterfly down a seemingly endless corridor, before losing sight of it around a corner. Refusing to be deterred, she turned sharply and tumbled through a door with an open shoji. Surprisingly, the fall wasn't as painful as she'd anticipated.

Listen.

She saw the butterfly perched on a long wooden divider and hastily scrambled to her feet, treading lightly so that she didn't scare it off. Her chest tightened when she heard voices coming from the other side of the divider. They sounded so real. Too real for a dream, anyhow.

"I know what you are. You don't have to hide it. Not from me."

Rin scrunched up her face. That was Tsunayoshi's voice. But who was he talking to?

"It's no use," replied the second voice. "I can't do it."

"Cyril-kun?" Rin whispered, shooting the butterfly an appalled look. "Seriously? Why would Tsunayoshi be having a conversation with him of all people? Besides, isn't he still trapped inside the barrier—"

Listen, the butterfly repeated.

She pressed her ear against the divider and waited for Tsunayoshi to respond.

"Can't? Or won't?"

"Both," answered Cyril. "Her power greatly exceeds my own."

"Then use your wits instead."

"If only it were that simple."

"I fail to see what's so difficult about it. Do you want me to break your enchantment or not? Because the way I see it, you can either help me and have the curse removed, or refuse me and live out the rest of your days in anguish. You decide, warlock."

Silence greeted Rin's ears after that, much to her dismay.

"Is this real?" she asked. "Or is it just a dream?"

The butterfly didn't answer. At first, she wondered if it was simply ignoring her, but when she turned to confront it, she saw that it was gone.

She felt the divider soften as the room tilted sideways, causing her eyelids to droop with dizziness. When she reopened her eyes, she found herself back in the bride's bedchamber, lying on top of the now sweat-soaked covers. Her heart was still racing. She was no stranger to nightmares, but none of them had ever managed to frighten her as thoroughly as this particular one had. Everything in it had seemed so real. The colours, the sounds, the smells . . . It was all incredibly unnerving. And yet, it must surely mean something. There had to be a rational explanation for what was happening. Perhaps the butterfly was a manifestation of her subconscious.

But what was it trying to tell her?

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Dawn broke and the door finally opened, allowing Master Jaken to come swanning in with his head held high. Rin shot out of bed and tackled him to the ground, ignoring his shouts of protest. She threw her arms around him and hugged him so tightly that he started wheezing.

"What's g-gotten into you?" he squawked. "Unhand me at once!"

She smiled bashfully. "Sorry."

He scurried backwards and adjusted his creased robes. "You mustn't do that anymore," he scolded loudly. "It's highly unbecoming for someone of your station. But worry not. I'll soon have you behaving like a true noblewoman."

She arched an eyebrow. "This isn't the time for jokes, Jaken-sama."

"Do I look like I'm joking!" He lowered his voice and hissed, "How do you think I convinced the usurper that leaving you wasting away in your room wasn't in his best interests?"

Her confidence wavered when she noticed a fresh bruise on his right cheek. "What did you do?"

The imp grinned triumphantly. "I used my powers of persuasion, obviously. He agreed to let you out twice a day for etiquette lessons with yours truly. You're welcome, by the way."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious! Do I not look it?"

"No, you do. I'm just surprised after what he did to—" Her stomach churned as she recalled what had happened in the jail sector. "Is Shippo-chan all right? Have you seen him? Is he—"

"He's fine. Well, not fine, but you know what I mean. He wanted me to tell you how sorry he was."

"I'm the one who should be sorry. It's my fault he got hurt. It's my fault Kohaku is in a cell and Kirara is who knows where. It's my fault they beat you all the time. You all keep getting hurt because of me. Every time I try and protect someone, I just make everything worse."

"That's not true—"

"I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm tired of waiting—of being useless. I have to do something. Before it's too late . . . Will you help me, Jaken-sama?"

"I can try," he mumbled. "But what is it that you need help with?"

Rin eyed the door before whispering, "I need you to look in Cyril-kun's herb garden for akai shi flowers. You've heard of them, right?" He nodded frantically. "Bring me some. As many as you can. But don't let anyone see you. Not even Cyril-kun. I don't know if we can trust him."

Master Jaken gasped. "How did you know he'd sworn allegiance to the usurper?"

Her eyes widened. "He has?"

"Only just. Apparently, he's being blackmailed. That makes all of us, eh?"

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. "I know you're afraid, but we can't keep our heads down forever. We have to stop him."

"What if Cyril doesn't grow that particular species of flower?"

Her pulse stuttered. She hadn't thought of that. Her entire plan hinged on the use of akai shi flowers, but if Cyril didn't have them, there was nothing she could do to assist Lord Sesshoumaru in the upcoming battle. The realisation evoked a strong feeling of dread within her chest.

"Rin? Are you listening?"

"If there aren't any, then there's not an awful lot we can do," she said, steeling herself. "But at least we can say that we tried. We owe Sesshoumaru-sama that much."

The imp's eyes filled with determination. "All right. I'll do it."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Thank you, Jaken-sama."

"Just promise me something."

"What?"

"Don't do anything stupid. If you suffered in any way on account of my actions . . . Well, I'd never forgive myself."

She smiled wider, moved by his words. "I'll be careful. I promise."

He clicked his tongue and mussed her hair. "It's the least you can do, you little brat."

Giggling, she hauled him to his feet and dragged him through the door, the lilies forgotten.

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