EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 107: The hanyou vs the mage

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Kanetsugu returned a fortnight later with distressing news. Sesshoumaru and Octavia met with him in the war room to receive his report. They were accompanied by Cyril, Megumi and Nagisa. The others would be filled in later. For now, they needed to focus all of their energy on getting their facts straight and drafting letters to the Northern and Southern Courts.

"It's gone," Kanetsugu said. "All of it. The entire valley looked to have been set to the torch."

"Were there any survivors?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Not to my knowledge, no. The place was full of bones and ash. It was like a damned crypt."

"That would explain the increase in attacks that Koga-dono reported," Cyril muttered. "A battle of that scale would certainly disturb the lesser youkai also residing in those plains." He turned to Kanetsugu. "I don't suppose you happened across any signs of Prince Yuudai or his family?"

Kanetsugu looked pained.

No, Octavia thought as he reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of tattered-looking fabric. It was difficult to make out amid all the bloodstains, but she eventually recognised Lord Susumu's personal crest. She heard Nagisa's sharp intake of breath and saw Megumi's face darken. Cyril shook his head in disbelief, seemingly speechless.

"I'm sorry," Kanetsugu mumbled, draping the fabric over Sesshoumaru's open palm. "He'd been dead for a while by the time I got there. He was the only one who was still intact. Well, mostly."

Sesshoumaru's pupils contracted inwards. "How did he die?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Both of his legs were broken, and he was badly wounded, but it was probably the shock that killed him. His eyes were . . . Be grateful that you didn't see him."

"What did you do with the poor fool?" Megumi enquired. "Don't tell me you left him out in the open to rot?"

"Of course I didn't. I buried him. It was the least I could do."

Octavia's heart ached. Out of the three warlords who came to celebrate Tanabata with them, she had liked Susumu the most.

"This proves it, then," remarked Cyril.

"Proves what?" questioned Nagisa.

"He's coming for us," Sesshoumaru said.

"Who?"

"My brother," Octavia replied bleakly. "You met him, remember? The mage who led the attack on Namida—that was him. The worst part is, this isn't even about Susumu or liberating the Eastern Lands from youkai occupation. He's trying to get our attention."

Nagisa's mouth twisted into a frown at the reminder of what Augustus had done that day—of what he had taken from her. "Couldn't he have sent a note instead?"

"He could have, but he prefers a more sadistic approach. Trust me, I would know."

Sesshoumaru folded the piece of fabric that Kanetsugu had given him into a neat little square, then tucked it away safely. "If my father were still alive, he would have already hunted the scum down and ripped out his dastardly heart. But that is too merciful a fate." His eyes found Octavia's and gleamed with the desire for vengeance. "The false god does not deserve a clean death. I will see to it personally that he suffers for his crimes against our people."

She couldn't tell if he was asking for permission or declaring his intentions. Either way, he needed her by his side in order to emerge victorious. Only she could get close enough to deliver the killing blow. Only she could walk into the flames and not be burned by them. It had to be her.

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Megumi and Nagisa both departed on their respective journeys that very same day. Octavia watched them morph into their true forms and take to the skies without glancing back. She felt guilty that she wasn't going with them, but she had her own responsibilities to worry about. Ever since Yuudai's letter had arrived at the stronghold, she had spent nearly every waking moment preparing for her inevitable confrontation with Augustus. Now, her days were composed almost entirely of sparring with Kohaku, honing her powers under Cyril's guidance, and combing through every book in the library in search of anything that might be of use to them.

Her nights, on the other hand, belonged exclusively to Sesshoumaru. When he was inside her, the outside world was little more than a memory, and the only times she felt truly at peace were when he held her in his arms.

"What if they don't come back?" she asked him one night.

"They will," he assured her.

"Then what if we were wrong about him targeting the North and South? What if he only attacked the Eastern Stronghold to make us think he'd go for them next when he's actually heading straight for us? What if he's on his way right now and we're just sitting here?"

"Days, months, years," Sesshoumaru mused aloud. "The when is not important. The only thing that matters is we will deal with him."

How, though?

Forgetting that he couldn't read her mind, she waited for him to elaborate, but he seemed to have moved on from talking. He planted firm kisses along her jaw whilst his hands played with her breasts. Sighing contentedly, she reached down and wrapped her fingers around his growing erection. He whispered her name like a prayer as she gave him a few urgent strokes before guiding him into her.

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A whole week had passed since Lord Sesshoumaru's mother and Nagisa had set out on their separate quests, but there had been no word from either of them yet.

Rin tried to downplay her worries by reminding herself that Kanetsugu had been gone for longer than a week, but he'd had a much greater distance to cover during that time frame.

The others were growing more and more restless with each passing day. Especially Octavia. She forced herself to adhere to a full and rigorous training schedule, so Rin hardly saw her, and when she did, she could feel the tension radiating from her friend contagiously. She supposed that was to be expected, though. If she found out that her own brothers were miraculously alive and committing atrocities in the name of religion, she would be fairly miserable, as well.

Rin watched as Octavia was knocked off her feet once more and resisted the urge to flinch when she landed on her back with an excruciatingly loud thump. Kohaku wasn't going easy on her today, but then again, he never did.

She glowered up at him like a furious street cat. They'd been sparring for months now, and she had yet to win a single match. Although her magic had blossomed in Cyril's care, physically, her progress had been positively dire. She simply couldn't keep up with a trained fighter like Kohaku, and no one knew it better than her.

Rin and Kagome shared a look when she lunged at Kohaku again, only to be immediately countered by him.

"Aw, man. Nothing beats a good fistfight, but this is just painful to watch."

Kagome's eyes widened at the sound of her husband's voice. Their heads all whipped towards Inuyasha, who was lounging on a nearby tree branch. How long had he been there?

Octavia redirected her fury at him. "Oh, shut up. We're not all blessed with supernatural strength and speed, you know."

"You have literal magic," he fired back. "Use it already. Before we all die of boredom."

"I can't," she hissed. "That's the whole point of me learning how to fight the old-fashioned way. I can't use my powers to hurt Augustus. If I do, they'll turn on me. We've been over this."

"I hate to break it to you, but your brother ain't your only enemy." Jumping down from the tree, he landed a few feet away from her and folded his arms. "No offence, but limiting yourself to just one skill when you have an entire arsenal at your disposal is dumb as hell."

"That's easy for you to say. Your youkai blood won't try to kill you for harming your brother."

"You'd be surprised what my blood is capable of."

Rin felt Kagome's shoulder tense against hers, but the miko's face gave away none of her thoughts.

Octavia's frown deepened. "What are you getting at, exactly?"

He grinned. "I'm saying you should fight me instead."

Her brows shot up in surprise, but before she could respond, Kagome was on her feet and shouting, "Oh no you don't! Have you forgotten what happened last time?"

"She didn't know what she was doing back then," Inuyasha pointed out calmly.

"What makes you think I do now?" Octavia challenged.

"I've seen you with the warlock. Your self-control is pretty incredible. You won't hurt me. To be honest, I don't think you can. You got lucky last time. I let my guard down. I won't make that mistake again. This time, you'll be the one walking away with fucked up looking hands."

Her purple eye seemed brighter than usual when she said, "You talk a lot of shit for someone who's about to get his arse kicked by a human."

He laughed. "We'll see about that."

Kagome moved to intervene, but Rin reached out and grabbed her by the sleeve, pulling her back. "Leave them," she whispered. "It's okay. She won't hurt him."

"Not with moves like those, she won't," Kohaku muttered as he came to stand with them on the sidelines.

Kagome still looked unconvinced.

Rin slid her hand into hers and gave it a squeeze. "Trust me."

The miko eventually gave a reluctant nod. "Fine. But if either of them gets hurt—"

"You'll swoop in and put a stop to it?" Kohaku guessed. "We know you will."

He caught Rin's eye and smiled. Her stomach was in knots by the time she thrust her gaze back to Inuyasha and Octavia. She wondered if he could somehow sense that something was amiss with her, before dismissing it as folly. He was a youkai taijiya, not a mind reader.

"Why does he get a sword but I don't?" complained Octavia.

"No weapons," declared Kohaku.

"Oh, come on!" Inuyasha howled in frustration. "She can shoot ice out of her fingertips, for fuck's sake!"

"Scared, are we?" she mocked. "Or is the Tessaiga your only means of defending yourself?"

"Keh. You wish."

"Prove it. Put the sword down and fight me like a man."

"All right, I will!"

"Good!"

Rin bit her lip to suppress a laugh. They were like two peas in a pod.

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Inuyasha unbuckled the Tessaiga from his hip and tossed it aside. Although he wouldn't be using it, keeping the sword in close proximity to the fight would ensure that the seal on his youkai blood remained intact. The last thing he wanted was to lose control and hurt someone.

Octavia assumed a defensive fighting stance and waited for him to make the first move. That didn't surprise him. From what he'd seen of her style so far, she tended to leave the majority of the offence to her opponents in favour of deflecting their attacks instead. It was fine to air on the side of caution, but hadn't she ever thought to shake things up a bit?

"What are you waiting for?" she asked warily.

"Try and land a hit on me," he said.

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Go on. It should be easy enough. I'm like a sitting duck over here."

Furrowing her brow, she lifted a hand and etched a series of glowing lines into the air with her index finger. The mark shone brightly, casting purple light onto her face and clothes. With her black kosode and mulberry-coloured hakama trousers, she definitely looked the part of a wicked sorceress, but Inuyasha knew better than to make assumptions based on appearances.

When the light disappeared, every stone within a hundred-metre radius was floating above the ground ominously. They came in all shapes and sizes—sharp and smooth, big and small, thin and round. There were even a couple of Jizo statues hovering about in the air, their mossy surfaces warmed by the late autumn sun.

"Impressive," he commended earnestly.

She shrugged. "You should see what I did to those cliffs yesterday. Compared to that, this is nothing."

Unable to resist, he felt under one of the floating stones in case there was an invisible beam holding it up, but there was nothing but air. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at now?"

"Doesn't matter. Do your worst, kiddo."

"I told you not to call me that."

"Make me."

The words had only just left his mouth when a rock flew straight for his head. He managed to dodge it, but he wasn't in the clear yet. The stones seemed to gravitate towards him like those magnet things Kagome had shown him during one of his many visits to her world. They broke apart easily enough after being struck by his claws, but the sheer amount of them put him at quite a disadvantage. Whilst narrowly avoiding one flying rock, another steered right into his stomach, winding him with both its size and the speed it was travelling at.

"One nil to me," Octavia said smugly.

"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha grumbled, rubbing his aching stomach. "New rule: you don't get bragging rights until after you've knocked me on my ass—"

He felt something coil around his ankle and pull. Peering down, he saw a tangle of roots sticking out of the ground and crawling up his leg. They felt thick and coarse, but at the end of the day, they were still just roots.

"Sankon Tesso!" he cried, slicing the roots into pieces with his claws.

It was time to turn up the heat. He cracked his knuckles and showed her his fangs. Before she could think to draw another mark, he lunged forwards and reached for her throat. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as his fingers closed around her neck.

The feeling didn't last long. A coldness spread outwards from the centre of his palm and encompassed his entire hand. He could feel the vibrations from her laughter through the thick sheet of ice that connected them. Unfortunately for her, only one of his hands was frozen.

"You were right," she said as his free hand inched towards her arm, preparing to trap her in an elbow hold. "It is more fun this way."

The coating of ice around his hand suddenly shattered, sending jagged shards flying in the direction of his face. She used the distraction to whirl out of his grasp and transition into one of the fighting stances Kohaku had taught her. Inuyasha didn't know much about martial arts, but it was obvious that she was on the defence again.

"Not bad." He shook the remaining ice from his hand. "You haven't exactly knocked me on my ass yet, though."

She smiled. "I'm working on it."

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"We're going to be here all day, aren't we?" sighed Kohaku.

"Probably," agreed Rin.

Even Kagome had grown tired of their antics by now. The miko had taken to sitting cross-legged on the grass whilst she watched Inuyasha and Octavia continue to outwit one another. Kirara had wandered out of the brush to join them over an hour ago and was now asleep on Kagome's lap.

Rin sighed. If only one of them would just clock the other in the face already and be done with it.

"Why is it taking so long for her to get the hang of it?" she asked Kohaku after Octavia failed to land yet another blow on Inuyasha. "Her motions are still so clunky."

He snorted.

"What's so funny?"

"You sound just like her," he said. "It's only been a few months. Learning to fight takes time. It took me ages."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah. I was terrible. The worst in the village, even. Probably because I never really wanted to be a taijiya in the first place. It was Ane-ue's dream to follow in our father's footsteps, but me? I would have happily toiled away in the fields all day, or trained to be a blacksmith. Anything that didn't involve killing . . ."

Rin's chest tightened. "You've never told me that."

"Haven't I?"

She shook her head.

"Huh. Must have forgotten." He smiled sheepishly. "Or maybe I just didn't want you to think less of me. I was always trying to impress you back then."

"You were?"

Her pulse quickened as he met her gaze and held it. His eyes were lovely enough on their own, but when they caught the light, they looked exactly like chunks of fossilised amber.

She swallowed thickly. "Kohaku—"

The ground gave a sudden jolt. Rin slammed her fists into the grass to steady herself. At first, she thought she had imagined it, until it happened again. This time, the entire earth shook violently, and the trees around them teetered in response to the shaking.

"Hey! Cool it, will you!" yelled Inuyasha.

"It's not me!" cried Octavia. "I think it's an—"

"Earthquake!" Kohaku finished for her. "Everyone take cover!"

Rin tried to stand, but the swaying ground rendered such a feat impossible. Kirara was now fully awake and wasted no time shifting into her alternate form. She quickly shoved Kagome towards Rin and Kohaku, then used her body to shelter them from any falling debris.

Thankfully, the ordeal was over within a couple of minutes. Lifting her head, Rin checked that her friends were all right. Kirara had taken a bit of a beating, but she seemed mostly okay. Kagome and Kohaku were completely unharmed, and Octavia had erected a shield around Inuyasha and herself, so they were perfectly fine, as well.

Rin breathed a sigh of relief as Kirara rose and shuffled backwards, giving them space to collect themselves. The damage to the stronghold was minimal—there were a few fallen trees dotted about and an abundance of newly emptied ponds, but the castle itself was still standing strong. Earthquakes were hardly an uncommon occurrence, so the infrastructure must have been designed with that in mind.

"Holy shit," she heard Octavia mutter. "That was insane."

"It was just a stupid earthquake," Inuyasha replied. "They happen all the time."

"It was a pretty big one," Kagome said.

"Whoa!" Octavia gasped, staring out into the distance. "Would you look at that?"

Rin followed her line of sight to the far-off silhouettes of the Western Mountains, which were swaying like shifting sand dunes. The distant creaking and groaning made it sound like they were sighing in exasperation. As the tremors travelled further and further away, Rin's vision blurred around the edges, and a faint ringing echoed in her ears.

"Rin?" Kohaku called, but his voice sounded further away than she knew him to be.

Her eyes suddenly rolled to the back of her head, and the ringing gave way to a chorus of loud screams. Just like when she had touched the rose, she saw without using her eyes, and heard with her mind rather than with her ears. She saw the sky cleaved in half by a bleeding star, and the earth below being smashed to pieces by falling rocks.

The world was ending all around her, and there was nothing she could do to save it.

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