Author's Corner

Thank you to my lovely friend victoriarogue for your review of the previous chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed the climax! The action isn't over yet though! ;) Readers, if you're a fan of Sess/OC fics and you haven't read Hell Doctor yet, you're seriously missing out, so do yourselves a favour and go read it ASAP.

EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 94: Sacrifice

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Rin flinched as a tremor shot upwards through the building, making the roof rattle.

She grabbed Shippo's hand when a serpentine body coiled around the structure, dislodging the tiles and trapping the two of them within its clutches. The creature inside Nagisa peered down at them with a hate-filled expression, then opened its jaws as if to swallow them whole.

"How dare you!" it bellowed instead. "Who gave you permission to use that thing? Do you have any idea what you've done? Do you even care? Because of you, we are indisposed!"

Rin's lips quivered as she spoke. "What are you talking about? We haven't done anything—"

"Liar! You opened the connection! You showed her the way!"

"Who?"

"The vessel!" it screamed. "Without you, she would have remained lost in the void! But you gave her the strength to break the warlock's spell and unleash the Radiant One's true power! It is your fault they died!"

"I don't understand. All I did was . . ." Her gaze wandered down to the necklace. "I see. She heard me, didn't she?"

"Of course she did, you insufferable brat! That is how Prophecy-Breakers were designed to work!"

Rin's mouth curved into a frown. "Prophecy-Breakers?"

"The necklace," the shadow clarified. "It was forged centuries ago in the fires of Mount Fuji, alongside its counterpart."

"What counterpart?"

"The one in your possession is but half of a pair. The vessel holds the other. For them to work, both parts must exist in equilibrium with one another."

"What were they made for?"

"You shouldn't need us to tell you that. After all, the clue is in the name."

Rin's eyes widened in realisation. "Which prophecy did we break?"

"The one which foretold the death of your precious warlord."

Relief coursed through her. That was good, wasn't it? Now Lord Sesshoumaru was guaranteed to live. The necklace had heard her wish and transmitted it to Octavia, who'd made it a reality.

"You've lost," Rin murmured. "Haven't you?"

Nagisa's snout twisted into something that resembled a smile. "Not quite, little bird. Not yet."

The sea dragon's mouth sprung open, revealing multiple rows of teeth and an abyss leading into her oesophagus. Rin's resolve wavered as the abyss drew closer, and a new wave of despair welled up inside her chest when the mysterious butterfly failed to appear. Crushing Shippo against her chest, she closed her eyes and prayed for a swift end.

The shadow roared in pain and loosened its hold on them. Snarling, Nagisa's head whipped sideways and her dark, chasm-like eyes landed on the cause of her agony. Rin gasped as Master Jaken prised the Nintoujou out of Nagisa's thick hide, leaving behind a small yet impressive puncture wound in its wake. Blood leaked out of the wound and coursed through the gaps between her scales. The creature occupying Nagisa's body snarled and aimed its claws at Master Jaken, who apparently hadn't thought beyond his initial attack. Rin screamed as he was launched through the roof by the sea dragon's massive tail. Craning her head, she peered into the hole and saw the imp lying on his back several storeys below.

"You'll pay for that!" Shippo yelled. "Foxfire!"

The shadow seemed surprised by his display of courage, and backed away to avoid being struck by the turquoise flames. Rin couldn't help but feel impressed as the kitsune cracked his knuckles and summoned two more fiery orbs that hovered above his hands like wisps.

"How sweet," the shadow purred. "Your commitment to your friends is commendable, but do you honestly believe you stand a chance against us?"

Shippo transformed into a balloon to dodge her lashing tail, but failed to see the second shadow that was waiting in the rafters. Kannika scurried out of the hole Master Jaken had made and threw herself at the kitsune. Her claws punctured the illusion and made him cry out in pain. Rin wondered why the creature inside her was neglecting to use Kannika's wings, until she remembered that the demoness had been tortured for information and had thus lost the ability to fly.

"Stop it!" Rin begged as Shippo and Kannika both plummeted towards the ground. "Please!"

Nagisa's black eyes glittered with amusement. "Cease your whining. After all, it won't be the fall that kills them." Snickering, the shadow leapt after them.

Rin sprinted to the edge of the roof and shrieked when she saw Shippo dangling from the sea dragon's hooked talons. Kannika, on the other hand, had landed in a dry fountain in one of the gardens below. Had she been mortal, falling from such a height would have meant certain death, but Kannika was a Daiyoukai. It would take more than that to eradicate the likes of her.

The hairs on the back of Rin's neck stood up as the tiles behind her creaked underneath the weight of something heavy. Her heart stopped for a moment as she turned and regarded Kirara's bared teeth and pitch-black eyes.

"I waited for you." Kohaku emerged from behind Kirara and walked towards Rin. His face was covered in cuts and bruises, and his brown eyes were full of sorrow.

Brown, she realised with a gasp. Not black.

"I waited," he repeated. "But you didn't come. You got what you needed and never came back. You used me."

"I didn't—"

"Don't lie to me. I've had enough of your tricks, Rin."

Her brow furrowed in contemplation. What was he talking about?

"You're not Kohaku," she breathed. "Are you?"

The whites of his eyes swirled with black, and his cracked lips curved into a smile. "No," the shadow crooned. "He was the hardest to break. His will was so much stronger than the others. However, he did wait for you, little bird. His final thoughts were of you."

She clutched the Prophecy-Breaker in her fist. "I'm not scared of you."

"You should be," retorted the shadow. "The majority of our brethren may be dead, but we are still alive. There is nothing to stop us from killing you."

"What about the butterfly?"

"We'll take our chances. After all, it is but one against four."

Rin backed away until the balls of her feet were skimming the roof's edge. If she took one more step, she'd fall, and the shadows would take her body, too. She had to try harder.

"Are you in there, Kohaku?" she asked, gazing into the inky pools where his eyes had once been. "Can you hear me? It's Rin. You're my . . . I'm your friend."

"You're embarrassing yourself," the shadow laughed. "Now, be quiet. It hurts more if you resist."

She thought of her dream. If the kusarigama represented death, the melon must have signified life. At the time, she'd assumed the decision had been hers to make, but maybe that wasn't the case. Kohaku had already died once, and again after the jewel shard that had been sustaining his life was stolen from him. If it hadn't been for Lady Kikyo, he would have perished in his sister's arms. He didn't think he deserved to live after everything he'd done. Maybe Rin wasn't the one who needed to decide, after all.

"It wasn't your fault," she said. "None of it was. You were just a child."

His boots scraped across the tiles as he slowed his pace.

"I did lie," she continued. "I am scared. But that's okay. Everyone gets scared sometimes. Bravery isn't the absence of fear. It's what you use to fight it. You know that better than anyone. You're the strongest person I know. If anyone can resist these monsters, it's you, Kohaku."

His expression turned into a grimace. "You're a fool," the shadow groaned.

A nervous laugh slipped past her lips. "Yeah. The biggest."

The darkness in his eyes parted just enough to reveal a pair of mahogany irises. "Damn it, Rin," he said through gritted teeth. "Why won't you just run?"

"Why would I run?" She reached out and took his hand. His fingers trembled between hers, just as they had when he'd been a boy of eleven seeking refuge with them in the wake of Lady Kikyo's passing, and Rin had offered to hold his hand after he'd awoken from a nightmare. She remembered thinking that it had probably been weeks since anyone had comforted him, or perhaps even longer. "You could never hurt me."

"I could," he wheezed.

"But you wouldn't. I know you wouldn't. I trust you."

She stood her ground as the shadow forced him to take another step forwards. The row of tiles that she was balancing on suddenly gave way and tumbled over the edge, pulling her with them. Her scream cut through the air as she fell, and she closed her eyes so that she wouldn't be able to gauge how close to death she was. No one was coming to save her. Not even Lord Sesshoumaru could reach her now.

Vertigo seized her body as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and halted her fall. Her eyes snapped open and peered into Kohaku's, which were wide with fear and adrenaline. Her gaze then wandered to the rope line connecting his wrist to the building. The grappling hook creaked in response to their combined weights, but stayed moored to the wall.

"I thought they confiscated all of your weapons before they threw you in the cell," Rin gasped.

"Only the ones they could see," he said. "All good taijiya know to keep a few hidden in case of an emergency."

She laughed. His eyes had returned to normal, and he didn't seem to be in any pain. Had the shadow decided to leave him alone? Or was it biding its time before it re-emerged and took control of him again?

Her musings were cut short by a high-pitched snarl. They lifted their heads in unison and saw Kirara barrelling towards them in a flurry of vermillion flames.

"Hold on," Kohaku urged.

Rin wound her arms around his neck as he released the trigger on the grappling hook. Her surroundings blurred when he fired it again and used the velocity to swing them out of Kirara's path. The creature wearing her skin screeched in fury and changed direction.

"She's following us!" Rin shouted over the howling wind.

"I was hoping she would!" he shouted back.

"What! Why!"

"You'll see!"

He landed on an exposed balcony and looped a section of the grappling hook's rope around a painted red bannister. Rin wondered what he was doing, but there was no time to deliberate his actions. Kirara was gaining on them fast. Kohaku finished securing the rope and leapt from the balcony with Rin still in his arms. The shadow flew alongside the rope. When it came within range of the balcony, Kohaku released the trigger on the grappling hook, unmooring it from the wall. The hook zipped through the air and bashed Kirara's skull, knocking her unconscious. She landed in a heap on the balcony whilst the hook became lodged between the knot and the bannister.

Kohaku used the new axis point to swing them towards the ground. So that was why he'd done it. Rin's face glowed with admiration.

"Will she be okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Her head is pretty hard."

When their toes touched the ground, Kohaku removed the strap from his wrist and left the rope dangling. Rin unwound her arms from his neck and stepped out of his personal space. Although the immediate danger had been dealt with, she didn't feel as safe as she had when they'd been swinging through the air together. She opened her mouth to ask him what he thought they should do now, but closed it when she saw a crinkle forming between his eyebrows.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"They've stopped."

"Who?"

He pointed at Nagisa and Kannika, who had Shippo cornered against a wall. The kitsune had reverted back to his original form, and he was shaking as he gazed up at his adversaries with a terrified expression. However, instead of finishing the job, their black eyes were fixed on the horizon, as if they were seeing something that mortal eyes couldn't comprehend.

"She approaches," one hissed.

"She's coming to kill us like she did the others."

The Prophecy-Breaker felt warm against Rin's wind-chilled skin. She didn't dare tear her eyes away from the shadows, so she thumbed the locket blindly, surprised to find that it had resealed itself during all the commotion.

"They won," she whispered to Kohaku. "Lord Sesshoumaru won. Tsunayoshi is dead."

"This isn't the end," they said in unison. "You may have survived this battle, but you won't be so lucky next time. None of you will. We will see each other again soon, little bird. Very soon."

Rin reached for Kohaku's hand as the darkness drained out of their eyes. The two Daiyoukai shuddered as they regained control of their bodies, then capsized due to exhaustion. Shippo waited until they were both unresponsive before racing over to Rin and Kohaku. He leapt into her arms and wept, soaking her already ruined junihitoe with his tears. She rubbed circles into his back and thanked the gods from every religion for watching over him.

"Jaken-sama!" she gasped, feeling her stomach drop in trepidation.

Kohaku's face paled. "Go," he said, ushering Shippo into his arms. "We'll be fine."

Nodding, Rin raced through the nearest entrance. It took her a long time to reach the higher storeys and locate Master Jaken amongst the rubble. His eboshi hat had fallen off when he'd plummeted through the roof, and the Nintoujou was wedged beneath a broken chair and a wooden cabinet that was lying on its side. She brushed the dust and debris that covered his clothes onto the floor and pressed her ear to his chest. There was no heartbeat. She tried again in case she was mistaken, but it was no use. No matter how hard she listened, she couldn't find his pulse.

Recalling Kagome's lessons, Rin rolled up her sleeves and locked her fingers together over Master Jaken's heart. In Kagome's homeland, they'd discovered a process that could restart a person's heart through the use of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Rin had watched Kagome perform the procedure once before when one of the villagers had inhaled too much water after falling into the river. Lady Kaede had insisted that the man was dead and thus couldn't be woken, but Kagome had been determined to prove her wrong. Needless to say, the process had caught on after she'd restarted his heart. Rin had found her modern teachings regarding the human body fascinating, and so had Lady Kaede.

"Come on!" Rin cried as she pressed down on Master Jaken's chest in an attempt to keep the blood pumping around his body.

Once she'd completed a certain amount of chest compressions, she placed her fingers beneath his chin and lifted his head to exhale oxygen into his lungs. She repeated the process three times before doubt began to creep into her system. According to Kagome, if the heart was out of commission for more than five minutes, it could damage the brain. Any longer and the body started to shut down, making resuscitation both pointless and impossible. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she carried on pumping Master Jaken's heart with her hands.

"Please don't leave me!" she sobbed.

Do you wish to save his life?

She looked up and saw the butterfly hovering above them like a flickering ember.

"Yes," she answered without hesitating.

There is a cost—

"I don't care! I'll give you anything you want! Please just help him."

As you wish.

The butterfly flapped its wings and a shower of pinkish-purple sparks rained down on Master Jaken's head. His entire body lit up like a lantern and flooded the room with light. Rin waited until it had dimmed before pressing her fingers to his neck. His pulse thudded against her fingertips. Fresh tears formed in her eyes as he began to stir.

"Rin?" he asked, peering up at her with a groggy expression. "What are you—"

She pulled him into a tight embrace. The imp squeaked in surprise, but for once he didn't protest. "I thought you were dead!" she sniffed. "I thought . . ."

"Heh, stupid girl," he rasped. "As if I would allow you to outlive me. I'm the immortal one, remember?"

Rin laughed through her tears. "How could I forget?" She helped him into a sitting position before shifting her gaze back to the butterfly. She hadn't noticed it before, but the pattern on its wings was reminiscent of a face. "Name your price."

It has already been paid.

"What do you mean?"

We have already taken what we needed from you.

"Which was?"

A memory.

She stiffened. "Which memory?"

A happy one. The butterfly fluttered closer. Would you like to know more about it?

She and Master Jaken shared a look. "No," she answered. "I'd rather not know the specifics of what I gave up. I can always make new memories, but Jaken-sama is irreplaceable."

The butterfly floated towards the hole in the ceiling. You humans are so very interesting. We have consumed billions of your memories over the millennia, and yet we are no closer to understanding you. Perhaps we never will.

Rin watched in silence as the butterfly flapped its wings and disappeared through the hole in the tiling.

"Is it over?" Master Jaken asked in the wake of its departure. "Did we win?"

"I don't know," she confessed, tracing the seam of the Prophecy-Breaker with her thumb. "Maybe there are no winners."

She wandered over to the nearest window and stared at the horizon. The sun had already begun its descent and balanced precariously on the divider between earth and sky. She could feel the remnants of her childhood slipping away. Before she could even attempt to comprehend what that meant for her sense of self, a dark silhouette appeared on the horizon, growing larger with each passing second.

Whatever it was, it was heading their way.

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