EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 103: In Memoriam

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Once upon a time, a girl took pity on an old god that had been left to rot in her family's abandoned wine cellar. Her grandmother had issued strict orders that it was not to be disturbed under any circumstances, but the girl felt sorry for it, sitting all alone in the dark with no one to talk to.

The girl was often shunned by the rest of her family for her inability to conjure magic. She was the only member of their clan to have failed every test that the elder mages had laid out for her—even the really simple ones. With her coming-of-age ceremony fast approaching, her plans were growing increasingly desperate. She thought that if she overcame her fears and faced the captive deity, it might bestow upon her a fraction of its power as a reward for her bravery.

It did not, for the old god was dying. Without sunlight, its life force was steadily slipping away. The creature was not long for this world, and the girl's grandmother knew that. She wanted it to die. And so, the girl made it her priority to stop that from happening, but what chance did she stand against a human-turned-goddess? Her grandmother was one of the most powerful mages in the world, whereas she couldn't even pass the initiation programme.

Her new friend was as good as doomed.

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Octavia's back hit the ground for what was either the tenth or eleventh time that morning. She groaned in pain as the clouds above her blurred into one giant mass of grey sky, and tried to block out the sound of spectators murmuring amongst themselves animatedly.

She heard her opponent coming long before she saw him. He cracked his stiff knuckles before chivalrously offering her his hand. Octavia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Kohaku's grin threatened to split his cheeks as she allowed him to help her to her feet. They had been training together for well over a month now, but she was still no closer to knocking him on his arse for a change. It wouldn't have been so bad if their training sessions didn't attract such a large and dedicated following. The residents of the stronghold regarded their daily sparring matches as a type of sport and showed up to each and every one without fail. It was positively degrading. Kohaku, however, seemed to relish in the attention, thus hyping up the crowd even further.

"You're definitely getting better," he said. "You almost landed a couple of blows on me this time."

"Almost isn't good enough," she grumbled. "This is taking forever. How long until we start seeing some actual progress?"

"Give it time. These things don't just happen overnight."

"Clearly."

He waited until their audience had dispersed before lowering his voice and saying, "I know you're worried about what's going to happen when your brother and his lackeys find this place, but pushing yourself too hard will only make things worse. Trust me. You're doing fine."

She frowned. "Fine won't stop Augustus from following through with his plans. Since I can't rely exclusively on my powers to defeat him, this is the only option I've got. I have to be perfect."

Kohaku's face softened. "I get that. But you're doing the best you can given the circumstances. Take a break every once in a while. You've sure as hell earned the right to one."

"You're only saying that so I'll leave you alone with your horde of adoring fans."

He blushed. "T-That's not true!" he stammered, glancing over at the group of demonesses still lingering by the training grounds. "They just want to see some of my techniques in action."

"That's one way of putting it."

"Octavia-san!"

She laughed.

He changed the subject before she could resume her teasing. "So . . . Same time tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Sure. I'll see you then."

The demonesses flocked to him like hungry seagulls the second that her back was turned.

Octavia stretched her aching muscles as she took a shortcut through the gardens on her way back to her room. The areas that had suffered the most damage during the invasion were still cordoned off for repairs, and the majority of the flora had grown back wild and disorderly, engulfing countless cobblestone paths and walkways. Because of this, few people set foot in the gardens these days, and even fewer did so willingly. The former jewel of the Western Stronghold had become not only an eyesore, but also a hazard.

It'll all be covered in snow soon anyway, Octavia thought. A considerably high number of trees had already shed their leaves, and the air grew colder with each passing day. Before long, the stronghold and its surrounding territories would be encased in ice. A part of her wished that the snow would come early this year, but she doubted that something as inconsequential as bad weather would be much of a hindrance to someone who could summon fire at will.

A subtle pulse of youki shattered her misgivings and transformed her frown into a smile. She followed the trail to a wall with a narrow ginnel leading through it. The gaps between the stones were teeming with fluffy green moss. Beyond the ginnel sat a large rectangular pond overflowing with reeds and algae.

She was about to walk under the archway when a hand grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her into a recess in the wall. Sesshoumaru's eyes gleamed in response to her racing pulse, and the corners of his mouth inched upwards as heat swiftly rose from her neck up to her face.

"Arsehole!" she huffed, pretending to be annoyed. "You nearly gave me a bloody heart attack. You're lucky I didn't scream."

Sighing, he closed his eyes and said, "I envisioned a warmer reception from you after so many days apart. How disappointing."

"You're the one who insisted on going to that stupid alliance council yourself instead of sending an ambassador," she reminded him. "It's not my fault you're such a control freak."

"Did you miss me terribly?"

Despite her efforts to suppress it, a smile tugged at her lips. "You're an idiot," she said finally, then leaned forwards and kissed him.

"I brought you something," he murmured into her mouth.

"I told you not to—"

"This one has not forgotten your counsel. I simply elected to ignore it."

She watched keenly as he reached into his haori and pulled out something small and circular. It was a polished gold band with a glittering ruby and an octagonal halo adorned with symbols.

"According to Cyril, the Radiant One was said to have been fond of shiny artefacts," Sesshoumaru explained clinically. "Hopefully this is more to its liking than the books and silks I presented you with last time. It belonged to a princess from a country far across the sea, where greenery is sparse, and the temples are made of sand."

Her cheeks ached from smiling so much. "Erem says thank you."

It wasn't a total lie. A sensation of warmth encompassed her from within as he slid the ring onto her index finger. She sometimes wondered if she wasn't the only one being wooed by Sesshoumaru's attentions. The Radiant One had been a part of her since conception, but it had been dormant for most of her life. Until she had roused it from its slumber and used its power to eradicate the swarms of ngea that had allied themselves with Tsunayoshi. Now, she could feel the creature's presence clearly – watching through her eyes, listening through her ears, and claiming her emotions as its own. She could no longer tell where it ended and she began. The knowledge should have frightened her, yet she found it strangely comforting.

Sesshoumaru curled a hand around her neck and pulled her closer. She gripped the folds of his haori tightly as his lips parted hers. It took an incredible amount of self-control not to reach for his obi and have him right then and there. The past few nights had been long and lonely, and she just hadn't been able to shake off the cold without him lying next to her.

"You need a bath," she said breathlessly, kissing a path down his throat.

He smirked at the lie. He knew as well as she did how amazing he smelled, but he seemed more than happy to play along with her little ruse. "Are you offering to assist me?" he asked. "I am quite exhausted from travelling, you see, so I would be most grateful."

She hummed against his neck. "Hmm. I don't know. We might not have time. I'm supposed to meet Cyril in a few hours."

"And you will." Tipping her head up, he ran his fingers along her jaw and whispered, "Be it hours, minutes, or even seconds, you will not walk away unsatisfied. I give you my word on this."

She shivered in anticipation. "I'll be the judge of that."

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"Which of these can be used to combat symptoms such as a sore throat and a congested nose?"

Rin studied the vast assortment of plants carefully. Lady Kaede had always sworn by umeboshi as a remedy for illnesses impacting a patient's airways, but she couldn't see any laid out on the desk in front of her, so it couldn't be that.

"Is it gobo?" she asked eventually, pointing to a small stringy root on the table's far side.

"It is," Megumi replied with a self-satisfied smirk. "Well remembered, child."

Rin let go of the breath she'd been holding and smiled. Lord Sesshoumaru's mother rarely ever complimented her, but that just made it all the more meaningful when she did.

It had taken her weeks to pluck up the courage and ask if the demoness would share her extensive knowledge of plants with her, followed by several days of grovelling to convince her to say yes. She had initially planned on asking Cyril, but the others were still somewhat wary of him, so naturally, Rin was, too. Fortunately, in the end, it hadn't mattered because Megumi had agreed to her terms and begun the process of teaching her what she knew.

Rin had her reasons for wanting to broaden her understanding of worldly matters. Although she would never admit it out loud, there was a part of her that regretted turning down Lady Kaede's offer to stay on as her apprentice. At the time, she had been so blinded by the prospect of resuming her adventures with Lord Sesshoumaru that she hadn't even so much as contemplated her future beyond that. Back then, all she had wanted was to remain a blissfully naive girl and stay by Lord Sesshoumaru's side for the rest of her days. Now, she wasn't entirely sure what she wanted, except for the fact that it had to involve helping as many people as she possibly could. She might not be a great warrior like Lord Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were, or a powerful mage like Octavia, or a skilled archer like Kagome, but at least this way she could make a difference, too.

"That's enough for today," Megumi concluded, pulling Rin out of her thoughts. "Tomorrow's lesson will be on the reproductive cycles of flowers, should you decide to read up on the subject beforehand."

"Speaking of flowers . . ." Rin began, averting her eyes as she spoke. "I don't suppose I could get another batch of that valerian root tea you make? Please? I haven't been sleeping well."

"More nightmares, I presume?"

She nodded feebly.

The demoness sighed. "I know you find them distressing, but they aren't real. They are merely a manifestation of your darkest thoughts and fears. They cannot harm you, child."

She was correct in principle, only these were no ordinary nightmares.

Rin was no stranger to bad dreams – she'd had them every night for months after witnessing the massacre of her family – but the ones she was currently experiencing put all of those to shame. Unlike before, these dreams weren't centred around any specific events from her past. They were random and seemingly ineffable; however, an overwhelming sense of dread accompanied each one, creating a compelling but tenuous link between them all.

"I know," she mumbled. "But it's hard to distinguish between what's real and what isn't when you're in the heat of the moment, and not to mention exhausting—"

"Enough whining," Megumi interrupted. "I have another batch right here. Come."

Rin followed her to a nearby shelf and watched as she picked out a long rectangular box with a gilded clasp. The sound of it clicking open was music to Rin's ears. Megumi deposited a tiny ceramic jar into her waiting hands and sent her on her way with a reminder to use the jar's contents sparingly.

Rin trooped through the castle grounds wearily, yawning until her eyes watered. Blinking away the moisture, she was about to climb the stairs leading up to her quarters when she heard someone calling her name.

She forced herself to smile as Haru, Mari and Hoka came sprinting down the corridor and skidded to a halt in front of her. As they gazed up at her adoringly, it occurred to Rin that this must have been how she had looked to Lord Sesshoumaru and Master Jaken. The three of them were so small. And innocent. A part of her wished they could stay that way forever, but she also knew that change was good. Death brought everything to a standstill, whereas change meant life.

"How are you today, Rin-san?" Mari asked sweetly, her badger's tail swishing from side to side as she spoke.

"I'm fine," Rin lied. They didn't need to know about her night terrors. The only person who knew about them was Megumi, but she didn't really count. Megumi didn't coddle her the way the others did. She gave her space to learn from her mistakes and work towards a solution on her own. A year ago, Rin might have felt disheartened by the demoness's cold and temperamental ways, but now, they were a source of comfort she hadn't even known she needed.

"We made something cool," Haru announced proudly. "Do you want to see it?"

A tiny smile spread across Rin's face. "Sure. What is it?"

"All in good time," Hoka said, winking and tapping one of his antlers knowingly. "It's this way."

He reached for her hand and tugged her towards an entrance to the gardens. Haru and Mari sprinted ahead like racing hares, stopping periodically to allow for her to catch up. Their enthusiasm must have been contagious because the jar stashed inside her robes clinked with every step she took, as if it were jumping up and down, unable to contain its excitement.

"How much further?" Rin asked.

"We're almost there," Haru replied. "You'll be able to see it soon."

"See what?"

No verbal answer was needed once they rounded a corner and stopped before a path marked by smooth black pebbles. Rin's eyes followed the two parallel lines to a stone tablet sticking out of the ground at the end of the makeshift path. Flowers of every type and colour had been neatly arranged around the base, and there was a list of names penned onto the front of the tablet.

"It's a grave," she murmured.

They seemed delighted that she'd been able to identify what it was.

"What do you think?" Hoka asked eagerly.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and muttered, "The ink will wash off when it rains."

Their faces fell.

"But that's okay," she added quickly, moved by their efforts. "It doesn't matter if it's not there tomorrow, so long as we remember that it was here today."

Basking in the silence, she walked along the path and knelt in front of the grave to pay her respects. Whilst she prayed, she read the list of names from top to bottom. The majority of them were strangers whose names meant nothing to her, but she recognised a few. One label in particular caused her pulse to quicken as her eyes raked across the scrawly-looking kanji.

RIN-SAN'S OKAA-SAN, OTŌ-SAN AND ONII-SANS.

"We didn't know what their names were," Haru confessed nervously. "But it felt wrong not to include them. You don't mind, do you?"

Her bottom lip trembled as she turned to face the three half-demons. To her surprise, they were kneeling beside her, their own hands clasped together in silent prayer. The sight made her eyes burn with unshed tears.

"Of course not," she sniffed. "Thank you for showing it to me . . . It really is wonderful."

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Author's Corner

The country that Sesshoumaru references is Egypt, hence the ring's design and his comment about the lack of greenery and sand temples (aka the pyramids). It has very little relevance to the plot, but I thought I'd mention it here in case anyone was interested. It's also a sneaky nod to one of my favourite Sess/OC fics, The Perfect Storm by TheReddQueen, which is currently undergoing revision. You should definitely give it a read if you haven't already!

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review :)