Author's Corner

Hiya doods! Happy Pride Month! I just wanted to mention that this chapter references a scene from Ch.41 which was changed slightly when I went back and edited the beginning half of the fic. Basically, I thought that Kannika's implied relationship with her handmaid was way too subtle in the original version, so I added a couple of details that made it a bit easier to spot. If you're one of the people that read the unedited version, you can go back and reread that part if you want to (it's the scene right after Rin gets her first period), but you don't really have to in order to understand what's happening in this chapter.

This is the relevant passage in case you're curious:

"The door slid open and Kannika entered with one of her handmaids. Her eyes bulged when she saw Octavia and Rin, who were equally shocked to see her. Sou bowed his head in shame and apologised for his failure, whereas the handmaid blushed and shifted awkwardly. Octavia wondered why she was acting like that, until she noticed the lipstick stains on the handmaid's neck. She looked away before it became obvious what she was staring at."

Thank you darkangelynn5 and victoriarogue for your continued support, and without further ado, let's get on with the story!

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 85: Ultimatum

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"Why didn't you tell me?"

Octavia met Kanetsugu's enraged stare and heaved a sigh. She'd had a feeling this was coming. "Why do you think? I didn't want to give you another reason to campaign for my death—"

"Don't try and spin this on me," he growled. "You knew about this . . . prediction long before any of us, yet you did nothing."

"What was I supposed to do! I was stranded in a land I knew nothing about, burdened with powers that I didn't even know I had. I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into, or how I was going to find my way home. And for your information, I didn't find out what my role in all of this was until recently, so you can get right off my back about it. Okay?"

Kanetsugu rolled his eyes. "You're so sensitive sometimes."

"That's rich coming from you. You practically throw a hissy fit whenever I look at you a little funny."

"I do not."

"You really do. It's embarrassing."

He glared at her. "At least I'm not a liar."

Her anger dwindled slightly. "I get that you're upset with me. I'm sorry I wasn't as proactive as I could have been, but please just listen for a minute." His silence encouraged her to continue. "I understand why you hate me. I'm not the easiest person to like. I'm loud and crass, and I have this terrible habit of pushing people away when they're trying to help me. I was a lost cause before I came here. I wasn't special or even remotely important. My life was meaningless. I used to think that if I just stopped existing one day, nothing would change. No one would notice my absence. I'd be a ghost in the corner of someone's eye."

"Are you always this depressing?"

"Do you mind? I'm trying to open up to you here."

"I don't remember asking you to."

"Well, you don't have to be a dick about it."

He crossed his arms and leaned against the tree he was standing next to. The moonlight couldn't reach him there, so his face was cast in shadow. "What else are you keeping from me?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Am I not allowed to have secrets now?"

"No. You're not."

"But you are?"

"My secrets don't harm the people I care about," he countered.

"So you just ignore them like you ignore Kannika's?"

"Leave her out of this."

"She clearly doesn't want to be married off to some nobleman she's never met, yet you insist on throwing suitors at her. Why can't you just leave her be? She doesn't even like men—"

Gasping, Octavia covered her mouth with her hands.

Kanetsugu's brows shot straight to his hairline. "What did you say?"

Octavia lowered her hands and watched as an array of conflicting emotions raced across his face. She hadn't meant to say that last part out loud. It had just slipped out. For once in her life, why couldn't she have just kept her mouth shut?

"Are you sure?" he asked. "There's no chance you're mistaken?"

Her cheeks warmed at the memory of the lipstick stains on Fuko's neck. Not wanting to expose hers and Kannika's relationship, Octavia simply muttered, "I thought it was pretty obvious."

He exhaled through his nose sharply.

She swallowed. "You really didn't know?"

"Of course not! Do you honestly think I would have put her through all of that if I'd known it was causing her pain?"

She shot him a dubious look.

He laughed bitterly. "Don't be so stupid. Just because I'm cruel to you doesn't mean I'm heartless. She's my sister. That might not mean anything to you, but it does to me. I would never do anything to hurt her. And if she ever tried to kill me, I'd let her."

Octavia's nails cut into her palms. "You're never going to trust me, are you?"

"How very perceptive of you."

"Not even if I offered you an ultimatum?"

His brow creased. "That depends."

She took a deep breath and said, "If you ever doubt my intentions—if you ever feel like I'm putting the people you love in danger, I want you to stop me. I don't care how. Injure me. Restrain me. Kill me if you have to. I won't fight back. I give you my word."

"You're giving me permission to execute you?"

"Yes. Now, do we have a deal or not?"

He seemed disturbed by how calm she was.

Why shouldn't she be calm? She'd already convinced one person to eliminate her if she endangered innocent lives. What was the harm in persuading another?

He surprised her by scoffing loudly. "Why would I agree to that?"

"Because you want to protect your sister. And if I'm as much of a threat as they say, then she's kind of automatically in danger."

"Sesshoumaru-sama would have my head."

"So tell him it was an accident."

"He'd never believe me—"

"You're not listening to me," she said, cutting him off. "I need you to do this. You're the only one I can rely on to actually go through with it. Please. I'm scared, too. I don't know what's going to happen. If things get out of control, I need to know that I can count on you."

She saw his throat bob uneasily. "All right," he mumbled. "I'll do it. But for Kannika's sake, not yours."

Smiling faintly, she blinked the fog out of her eyes.

His face darkened again. "This doesn't mean we're friends, you know."

"I know."

"Looking at you still makes me feel incredibly nauseous."

"Same here."

He uncrossed his arms. ". . . Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"You said you'd fight for us. Even if it meant betraying your own people. Even if it cost you your life. Why would you do that?"

She smiled properly then. "Because you are my people."

He stormed off without replying. For a moment, she wondered if he regretted saving her and wished that he'd let her fall to her death. If he hated her as much as he said he did, it should have been a no-brainer for him. So why had he done it? Whilst it was true that Sesshoumaru would be furious with him for failing to protect her, she'd agreed to fight Kumoshi of her own volition. Therefore, it would have been the perfect opportunity to get rid of her.

Maybe he had more in common with Kannika than a few physical similarities. Maybe deep down, he wasn't as cold-hearted and shallow as he seemed, either.

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Totosai returned from his forge the following morning and presented the newly manufactured armour to Octavia. It was reminiscent of the old design, but with a few changes here and there. The breastplate was the colour of ivory and consisted of several smaller plates layered on top of one another, all of which had been polished to perfection. A white crescent moon had been welded onto the front between two curved spikes that resembled horns. The lone shoulder plate, on the other hand, looked vastly different to its predecessor, as it was shaped like the head of a dog.

"It's beautiful," she said, tracing the dog's jaw with her fingers.

"I should think so!" Totosai barked. "I was slaving over it all night!"

"I'm surprised you got it done so quickly. I thought it would take way longer."

"It would have if I'd made the armour from scratch. Fortunately, I've had this set lying around for months, so all I had to do was melt down Kumoshi's fangs and coat the parts in enamel. A warrior from the mainland commissioned it about a year ago, then decided that he didn't want it after all. It's been collecting dust in the workshop ever since."

She scowled at him. "You've had this the whole time and you still sent me to kill your friend?"

"I had to test your intentions first."

"Even if it cost Kumoshi his life?"

"He knew what he was consenting to."

There was no sense in arguing with him. Totosai was a man set in his ways, and although his methods were questionable at times, he was no fool.

She saw something poking out from underneath the armour and pointed to it. "What's that?"

Totosai reached into the bundle and pulled out a pair of cuff bracelets. "They're for you," he explained. "I had some enamel left over and thought, what the hell?"

"What are they?"

"They're receptacles. Energy can be stored within them for indefinite amounts of time. I thought they'd be useful in situations where you're unable to siphon power from your surroundings or draw mitama marks. They're essential for one such as yourself. Suitopi swore by them."

Octavia's stomach cried out in protest as the twin bracelets slotted onto her wrists like shackles. Despite their quality, they made her feel like a prisoner.

"Chin up, my dear," Totosai said gently. "You needn't look so glum all the time."

"Don't patronise her," Kumoshi scolded, descending the slope at a leisurely pace. The sunlight made his fur dazzle and shine like freshly glazed onyx. "You can't force someone to be happy. Especially when disaster looms on the horizon. Fate has been out to get the young lord for quite some time now. These may very well be his last days among the living."

Octavia gazed into Kumoshi's icy blue eyes and held the armour close to her chest. "I'm not giving up on him. Not now. Not ever. No matter what happens, I'll protect him with my life."

"Then he is lucky to have you."

"I am pretty amazing," she said, grinning slightly.

Kumoshi returned the smile. Even Totosai's expression looked somewhat warmer than usual.

"Thank you," she whispered earnestly. "Thank you both for everything."

"The honour is ours, little mage. We will pray for your victory in the battle to come."

It would take more than a few prayers to save them from the oncoming storm, but she appreciated the sentiment, nonetheless. Bowing her head in farewell, she waited for Totosai to finish wrapping the armour in cloth before handing it to her. Her arms strained under its immense weight, but she refused to be bested by a hunk of tooth and metal.

Kumoshi chuckled as she hauled it all the way down the bumpy slope to where Kanetsugu was waiting for her. "What an interesting creature," he said when she was out of earshot. "Touga would have had his hands full with her, don't you think?"

Totosai's expression turned sad and remorseful. "I misjudged her. She's not at all like Nidawi said she would be. Perhaps Suitopi was wrong, after all."

Kumoshi's eyes darkened. "Or perhaps her visions meant something else entirely."

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