Author's Corner

Thank you Snodil and darkangelynn5 for your kind words. I can't believe we're almost at 200 reviews! When I first started this fic, I honestly never expected to get more than ten, so this is a pretty big milestone for me haha. The fact that there are still people reading and actively engaging with it makes me so unbelievably happy.

I'm currently in quarantine because I've tested positive for the 'Rona, so I've had plenty of time to churn out new chapters for this thing. I'm still a bit delirious so I hope this makes sense lol (feel free to shout at me if it reads like a fever dream). Enjoy!

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 81: Cat's cradle

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The bath was full of crushed flower petals and sweet-smelling herbs that skated across the surface like water striders. Once all the blood and grime had been scrubbed from his body, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and let the steam soak into his pores. Although the water had soothed his muscles to some degree, the tension in them remained. The panthers' dismissal of his request had agitated him, but it wasn't the root of his apprehensiveness.

He missed the stronghold. He'd never cared for it much in the past, but he'd grown fond of it during the past few months. It was still brimming with people he didn't like, and he continued to detest his courtly responsibilities, but he'd found a new appreciation for the place. After all, it was a home he shared with those who were important to him.

My home is wherever you are.

He found himself thinking of her more and more. She was like a song that had gotten stuck in his head, ever-present and impossible to ignore. He hated that he couldn't last longer than an hour without some semblance of her crossing his mind. It wasn't at all like when he thought about Rin, which happened just as often, mind you. Missing Octavia didn't hurt. Not this time, anyway. Perhaps it was because he knew that, unlike last time, he could be back by her side whenever he wanted to. Nothing would keep him from her. Not even a tear in reality itself.

His eyes snapped open when he sensed a presence on the other side of the shoji screen. The herbs around him disguised the other person's scent, but he could hear them moving around in the hallway just outside the onsen. Cracking his knuckles, he waited for the stranger to reveal themselves. Regardless of their intentions, they were going to regret intruding on him. Sure enough, a light knock sounded on the shoji before it slid open, revealing the youngest of Toran's siblings. Sesshoumaru lowered his claws as Shunran stepped into the onsen and closed the door with her foot. Her arms were full of what he presumed were bath lotions. He arched an eyebrow as she approached the edge of the bath and knelt beside it.

"I was going to ask a servant to bring these to you," she murmured. "But I thought it would be better if I explained what each one does myself."

Sesshoumaru took in the details of her appearance. She had upturned eyes and delicate features, and her hair was the colour of sea coral. It was shinier than it had been before, suggesting that she'd washed it. She'd changed into a different kimono, too. This one was shorter and made from a thinner material. Her form and stature reminded him of Rin. Although Shunran was hundreds of years older than her, in human measurements, they would be roughly the same age.

"Is the bath to your liking?" she asked. "I added the herbs and flowers myself."

"It is acceptable," he replied.

She looked a little flushed as she organised the jars along the edge of the bath. "I'm sorry if I seemed cold earlier," she whispered. "If it were up to me, I'd tell the army to march on your command, but onee-san's word is final."

"Hn."

Shunran removed the lid from one of the jars and sniffed its contents, then smiled to herself. "This one is my favourite. It's made from—"

"Bush clovers and valerian," he finished.

She chuckled. "I underestimated you. Of course the great Lord Sesshoumaru would recognise a common scent like ominaeshi." She flashed him an alluring smile. "Would you like some? It helps you relax."

His eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

"I told you. I came to—"

"Share your lotions with me? I find that hard to believe."

Her blush darkened as she refastened the lid and set the jar down beside her. He watched as she picked up the other jars one by one, then placed them on the ledge beside the bath. Her pulse quickened when she locked eyes with him and reached to untie her obi.

"No," he said.

The authoritative tenor of his voice made her pause. "Why not?"

"You are a child—"

"I'm not a child!"

"But you are still a maiden, aren't you?"

She frowned. "Yes, but—"

"Enough now, Shunran. I will not be swayed by you."

"Am I not beautiful enough for you?"

"Don't project your insecurities onto me. I know Toran sent you here to seduce me into a marriage pact. I should have known she wouldn't be satisfied with a mere alliance. Or were you the one who suggested it? The Lady of the Western Lands is a highly coveted position, after all."

Her eyes glittered with tears. "You don't get to judge me. I've spent my whole life feeling inferior to my siblings. You have no idea what that feels like."

"You'd be surprised."

She averted her eyes.

He sighed. "Don't be so quick to squander your virtue. Save it for someone you care about."

She glared at him. "My virginity is not some gift to be given away to whomever I deem fit to receive it. Men have such warped ideas when it comes to coupling."

"I simply meant that you should wait until the right moment presents itself."

"Is that what you did?"

There was still a slight edge to her voice, but she sounded more curious than critical now.

Sesshoumaru thought of his first – the pretty foreigner that his father had stumbled across during his travels – and wondered if bedding her had been the right choice. He'd cared about her, in a sense, but not to the degree that Kanetsugu had. That was why Sesshoumaru had found her so appealing in the first place. He remembered her striking blue eyes, the graceful slope of her neck, and the soft moans that had floated out of her mouth like music. But like all the others that came after her, Inna had wanted more than he'd been willing to give, so he'd distanced himself from her, making her believe that her only purpose had been to complete his transformation into a man.

"Life isn't a race, Shunran," he said. "There is no need to rush. Savour what is left of your youth. Because when it is gone, it doesn't come back."

The young demoness hugged her knees to her chest, whilst the steam curled around her like a cloak. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"You remind me of someone."

"Who?"

"My ward, Rin."

"The human girl?"

"Yes."

Sinking deeper into the bath, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of flowers.

". . . Is she dead?"

"No," he said. "Death has been trying to reap her soul for years, but I refuse to let it take her from me. Not without a fight, anyhow."

Shunran snorted. He opened his eyes and shot her an interrogating stare. "Sorry," she muttered. "I meant no offence. You're nothing like the man I remember from fifty years ago. I suppose love changes people, doesn't it?"

Pinching his brows, he kept his gaze trained on her as she rose from her seat on the edge of the bath and headed for the door. She paused before she opened it, then turned her head to look at him once more.

"Don't tell the others that I was here," she warned. "Unless you'd like your bath filled with poison oak next time. I hear it's very itchy."

He smirked at the threat. "I'm immune to most poisons, but worry not. Your secret is safe with me."

She left without uttering another word. Sesshoumaru remained in the bath a while longer, savouring the warmth, before climbing out and letting the steam dry his wet body.

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"Are you ever going to tell me what's bothering you, or should I just stop asking?" Kagome asked whilst she was slicing vegetables.

Inuyasha's eyes shifted from the door to where she was standing. Sighing, he stood and wandered over to help her prepare the food. He hadn't told anyone about his little trip to the future, but his wife had taken one look at him and just known that something was amiss. He had no idea how she did it, but Kagome had a sixth sense for those sorts of things. It didn't matter what it was. She could always tell when something was weighing on his conscience.

"Well?" she pushed.

"All right, I'll tell you. But you ain't gonna like it."

She cast him a suspicious glance.

He exhaled slowly, then whispered, "I travelled through one of the cracks."

"You did what!"

"I said you weren't gonna like it—"

"When?" she snapped, making his ears droop.

"Yesterday," he muttered.

"Why would you do that? We don't know where those cracks lead to, Inuyasha. You could have ended up anywhere! What if you'd gotten stuck?"

"But I didn't."

"That's not the point!" She took several deep breaths to calm herself, then placed the knife on the side next to the diced-up vegetables. "What was on the other side?"

"I was still in the village, but it wasn't this village, if you know what I mean. Everything looked pretty much the same, except Sango and Miroku were dead, and you and I were older than Kaede. You should've seen the wrinkles on me."

"Are you saying you travelled to the future?"

He nodded. "I think so."

She braced a hand on the wood to steady herself. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I guess it kind of freaked me out," he said. "It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. First of all, future me was too weak to pull a puny radish out of the ground, and he wouldn't stop babbling on about how your cousin killed Sesshoumaru, and then—"

"Octavia-chan did what to Sesshoumaru?"

Inuyasha bit the inside of his cheek. "She killed him. Apparently, they got into this massive fight that neither of 'em walked away from."

Kagome shook her head. "She wouldn't do that."

"Wouldn't she? I mean, we hardly know her. Who knows what she's capable of?"

"She's family," Kagome argued. "Besides, she didn't seem like a killer to me. Are you sure that's what happened?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Not really, but why shouldn't I believe him? He is me, after all."

Kagome scowled. "It has been a while since we heard from them. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Let's not jump to any conclusions yet."

". . . What if it's too late?"

Her face softened. "You're worried about him."

"Keh! Like hell I am!"

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she gazed deep into his eyes and said, "Be honest with me. You'd be upset if something happened to him, wouldn't you? Despite everything he's done, a part of you still cares about him. I might not be his biggest fan, but I understand how you feel. If I thought my brother was in danger, I wouldn't rest until I'd made sure that he was safe."

Inuyasha frowned. "It ain't the same. Maybe if things had been different . . . I don't know. But he made his choice. And now he has to live with it."

She swallowed. "That's fair, but you're forgetting something very important."

"What?"

"We owe Octavia-chan. She didn't have to go with him that day, but she did. Sesshoumaru wouldn't have forced her. If she'd wanted to stay, Rin-chan would have understood. She only left because she was afraid that she'd lose control of her powers again. She did it to protect us."

"I still don't trust her," he grumbled.

"Then trust me instead."

"Of course I trust you. I married you, didn't I?"

Kagome wound her arms around his neck and touched his lips with hers. "You sure did," she murmured against his mouth. Inuyasha grinned and went in for another kiss, only to be stopped by her hand. "Oh no you don't, mister. And don't even think about whipping out the puppy dog eyes right now. We still have to figure out how we're going to get a message to them. Octavia-chan mentioned a castle, but she didn't say where it was. How are we supposed to check in on them if we don't even know where they are?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"He's your brother."

"Yeah, and? I don't exactly go looking for him. He's usually the one who comes looking for me."

"What about Myoga?"

"I wouldn't pin my hopes on that coward."

"Totosai, then?"

"I can't see him being too keen, either."

She pursed her lips in irritation. "There must be someone."

"There will be," he assured her. "We can come up with a proper plan tomorrow. I don't know about you, but I'm beat. How about we skip dinner and go straight to bed?"

"You hate sleeping whilst the sun is up."

"Who said anything about sleeping?"

Her brows shot up in surprise, but she soon smiled and whispered, "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Nothing. I just missed you."

"Me, too. It feels like it's been ages since we . . ." Her voice trailed away as he combed his fingers through her ebony hair. When he moved closer and rested his forehead against hers, he heard her mutter, "Inuyasha, when you were in the future . . . Tell me, did we have children?"

He answered by covering her lips with his.

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Author's Corner

I have no idea how old the Panther Devas are or if Shunran is actually the youngest, but then again, I don't think the people that created them do, either. They are filler characters, after all. I've always had a bit of a soft spot for them, though, in case you couldn't tell.

Don't forget to review and I'll see you again soon with another update!