Author's Corner

Shout-out to starrat and Demi-Angel2011 for their reviews on the last few chapters! I hope you both enjoy this one!

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 69: Truce

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Tsunayoshi's men escorted them to a room on the ground floor with no windows or furniture. A barrier had been erected around it, making it impossible for anyone to get in or out unless they were holding a small crystal fragment. Rin watched with fascination as the youkai escorting them tapped the barrier with the crystal, which opened up a hole large enough to walk through.

Before she could protest, she and Master Jaken were shoved into the hole, where they landed on the floor. The hole closed behind them, trapping the two of them inside.

"Rin-chama!" Cyril cried, dropping to his knees in front of them. "And Jaken-dono! Thank the gods." He gasped when he saw the rip in her kimono and the bruises on Master Jaken's face. "What happened? Who did this to you? Was it that hanyou?"

Rin glanced around the room and spotted Nagisa and Kannika in the corner. They were sleeping, but their expressions looked strained and distraught.

"Are we the only survivors?" Rin whispered.

Cyril nodded. "I believe so, although a few may have escaped during the invasion."

"Did you see Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"I didn't. That hanyou came to see us on the first day and asked us if we knew where he was. It's not out of character for him to disappear, but it seems odd that he would leave after Eita was murdered. The last time anyone saw him was when he went to check on you, Rin-chama."

"I must have been asleep when he came. Did you say someone was murdered?"

"It was horrible," Master Jaken murmured, shuddering at the memory. "I saw the state the room was in after Sesshoumaru-sama revived the victims. There was so much blood. Eita was a good man. He didn't deserve to die. What kind of monster would deface someone's body like that?"

"Did the guards find out who was responsible?"

"The guards were the main suspects," Cyril answered. "But for some reason, Sesshoumaru-sama was adamant that they weren't to blame. He said they were just puppets on strings."

Rin furrowed her brow. "I remember Octavia-san telling me about the creatures that sealed her magic. They had the power to possess people. Maybe there were more of them than the ones she and Sesshoumaru-sama met on the island. Maybe they're here in the castle with us."

"But why would they w-willingly serve a hanyou?" Master Jaken stammered.

"Perhaps he's one of them," suggested Cyril. "What colour were his eyes? The victims from that night claimed that their attackers' eyes were pitch black."

"They were red," she answered. "Like hot coals. And he didn't sound possessed."

"What does the bastard even want?"

They all turned their heads and saw that Nagisa had opened her eyes. She stared at them from across the room, waiting for her question to be answered.

"He wants vengeance," said Rin. "He wants Sesshoumaru-sama to pay for something that happened in the past. I think he's going to try and kill him."

Nagisa snorted. "Is that so? He must be mad. As callous as it sounds, a weak hanyou like him has no chance against a powerful Daiyoukai like Sesshoumaru."

"How do you know he's weak?"

The sea dragon arched a brow. Rin looked down at her hands and picked at the blood between her fingers. Lord Sesshoumaru was powerful, but so was Inuyasha. If he'd been weak, he wouldn't have been able to chop off Lord Sesshoumaru's arm. He might have lost more than just his arm if Inuyasha hadn't been holding back that day.

Rin locked eyes with Master Jaken. "When you see Sesshoumaru-sama, tell him to run before the usurper finds him."

"He would never agree to that," rebuked Cyril.

"You have a point," Nagisa agreed. "There's no way he'll just leave us here. His pride won't allow it."

Master Jaken hung his head and sighed. "I'll worry about that when I've found him. First, I have to figure out a way to activate the Nintoujou. I've never used it for anything other than spraying flames and tracking down the Inu no Taisho's grave. I don't even know where to start."

"You can do it," Rin assured him. "I know you can. And once you've gotten the hang of it, you could use it to find Octavia-san."

Kannika was showing signs of stirring. Her eyes peeled open, before settling on Rin and Master Jaken. The demoness' breathing hastened and she scurried over to them on her hands and knees. Rin noticed that she was missing both of her middle fingers, and her wings were torn to shreds. She grabbed Rin's hands and gazed deep into her eyes, searching for something.

"Have you seen my brother?" she asked. "Was he with you? Please, tell me."

Rin shook her head. "I'm sorry. I haven't seen anyone except you four."

Kannika's face fell, and she let go of her hands.

Nagisa rose from her seat beside the wall and walked across the room to where Kannika was kneeling. She reached out and placed a hand on Kannika's shoulder, being careful not to touch her mutilated wings. "Don't give up," Nagisa said. "He might have escaped."

"I doubt the hanyou would have killed him," Cyril added. "Kanetsugu was Touga-sama's ward, too. Why kill one but not the other? Whether he escaped or not, I'd wager that he's still alive."

Rin caught Kannika's eye and shot her a determined look. "I'll ask Tsunayoshi about him later. He wants me to eat dinner with him, so I'll try to learn as much as I can then."

Kannika nodded. "Thanks, Rin-chama."

"Be careful," Nagisa warned. "Sky dragons are cruel and impatient. This one might have diluted blood, but he won't have any qualms about killing you, so try not to piss him off."

"I won't," Rin promised.

"You stupid girl," Master Jaken sighed, tearing up again. "If only I'd gotten to you sooner."

Rin's eyes softened. "Don't cry, Jaken-sama." Smiling, she leaned in and kissed his swollen cheek. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. After the bandits murdered my family, I was so lost, but you taught me how to trust again. I'm sorry for always taking you for granted."

Sniffing, he smothered his face with his hands to hide his tears. Rin clutched his sleeve until two stony-faced demonesses came to take her away.

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Kanetsugu and the volunteers returned later that evening with packs full of supplies. Octavia helped them distribute clothes and food to the other survivors whilst Kanetsugu listed the names of all the people they'd buried. Sou was among them, as was Suki. Octavia closed her eyes in remembrance, before glancing up at the waterfall. She wondered if Sesshoumaru was listening, too.

Once Kanetsugu was done, she asked him if he'd learned anything about the usurper. He hadn't. Disappointed, she wandered over to the remaining supplies and searched for something to change into. Her eyes ended up being drawn to a pure black kosode. It was a little worn and torn, but beggars couldn't be choosers. She felt her chest tighten when she recalled what the Dressmaker had said about her ballgown. Gold won't suit you at all. Black, on the other hand . . .

Octavia threw the kosode over her shoulder and picked out a pair of dark grey hakama. She knew how it would look to outsiders. A man dressed all in gold versus a woman who fought alongside demons? It was obvious who people would assume was the hero, but she didn't mind being Augustus's monster. She chose an off-white kosode and a matching pair of hakama for Sesshoumaru before changing out of her dress. The black kosode was the same shade as the tattoo on her chest. She tied the obi around her waist and touched the Prophecy-Breaker with the pad of her thumb.

She crossed paths with Kanetsugu on her way to see Sesshoumaru. "Are you following me?"

"You're always sneaking around up here," he said with a shrug. She tensed as he moved closer and whispered, "I know what you're doing. It won't work, you know. No one can help him now."

"You're wrong."

His eyes slid down to her black kosode and narrowed. "We don't want you here, human. Why did you even bother coming back if you were just going to make things worse—"

"Oh, give it a rest, will you? We don't have to be friends, but we can't keep gunning for each other every few seconds. What do you say we call for a truce? At least until the usurper has been dealt with. You can go back to hating me once this is all over."

Kanetsugu clenched his jaw. "I will never place my faith in a human."

"I'm not asking you to trust me. I sure as hell don't trust you. But we have more important things to worry about now. These people need us. Sesshoumaru needs us. We have to be there for them. I don't care if you think it's a lost cause. We have to try . . . Please just try."

He balled his fists. She was almost positive that he was going to walk away, until he opened his mouth and said, "Take me to him."

She tried not to let her surprise show. "Follow me," she said, leading him to the uppermost caves.

When Sesshoumaru saw that Kanetsugu was accompanying her, his eyes turned red and he snarled at him. Kanetsugu recoiled in pain, reacting to the powerful waves of youki being hurled at him. Octavia stepped into the small space and shook her head. Frowning, Sesshoumaru reined in his youki and waited for her to explain herself.

"I picked these out for you," she said, gesturing to the clothes. "They didn't bring back any armour, but at least these are cleaner than what you have on now."

The blank expression returned. "Leave them by the entrance."

"No."

Kanetsugu's eyes widened at her disobedience.

Sesshoumaru arched a brow. "No?" he repeated.

"They'll get dirty if I leave them on the ground," she said. "And I'm not your maid. Get off your arse and take them from me yourself." Kanetsugu's jaw dropped. She met his horrified stare and fought the urge to smirk. "Kanetsugu has something he wants to say to you."

Sesshoumaru stared at him.

"Your ward wasn't among the dead we found today," Kanetsugu said. "Neither were Jaken, Cyril or Nagisa-san."

"What about your sister?" Sesshoumaru asked. "Is she alive?"

"We still don't know, my lord. But I hope so."

Octavia's eyes flitted between them. The tension was more subdued now, but the animosity between them remained. She sensed that it would never fully disappear, but as long as they kept it buried for the time being, it wouldn't affect their plans to reclaim the stronghold. None of them could do it alone, but together, they stood a chance.

Sesshoumaru rose from his seat beside the curtain of water and walked towards them. Octavia waited until he was close enough before offering him the clothes. He accepted them without a word, taking notice of her new attire as he did, before his features adapted a much sterner look.

"Gather the others," he told them. "We leave at first light."

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