EIGHTH BLOOD

Chapter 97: Someone else's monster

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Rin was still holding Octavia's hand as she led her through the gardens towards the makeshift plaza that had been erected earlier that day.

Rin's eyes were drawn towards three figures standing beside one of the tables. Kirara was balancing a tower of bowls atop her head, which Kohaku was taking one at a time and handing to Shippo, who arranged them neatly on the tabletop. Rin couldn't help but admire how perfectly in sync the trio were. Her wonder transformed into guilt as she took in their dishevelled appearances and countless wounds. The cloth patch covering the left side of Shippo's face was a grim reminder of what they'd endured during Tsunayoshi's brief yet terrible reign.

"Who–" Octavia whispered, "–is he?"

Rin's remorse faded as she followed Octavia's finger to the object of her curiosity. "That's Kohaku," she said. "He's Sango-sama's younger brother. You remember her, right? She was the lady with the boomerang. Miroku-sama is her husband."

"No, I remember. I didn't know she had a brother." Octavia looked at Rin and wiggled her eyebrows. "Handsome fella, isn't he?"

"You think so?"

"You don't?"

Rin's cheeks warmed. She'd never really looked at him in that light before. In the past, he'd been a self-conscious boy who had yet to experience his first major growth spurt. His current appearance was more in line with a man's, as evidenced by his chiselled jaw and broad shoulders. He was also a lot taller than he had been three years ago, and his once skinny torso had filled out a little. Rin watched him lift a crate of sake bottles and swallowed when she saw the muscles in his forearms straining against his tight kimono sleeves.

"Well?" Octavia probed. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

A smile tugged at Rin's lips. "Only if you promise not to flirt with him."

Octavia feigned offence. "I wouldn't dream of it! He's too young for me, anyway."

"You're only two years older than him."

"A lot can change in two years. You'll understand when you're older."

Rin giggled. "I forgot you're only interested in the elderly these days."

"When have I ever expressed the desire to bone an elderly person?"

"I was talking about Daiyoukai, not actual old people."

"Oh, right. Yeah, that checks out, actually. They are hundreds of years old. My social workers would've gone nuts over that big of an age gap. Warren doesn't look so bad now, does he?"

"Who?"

Octavia scowled. She looked like she was thinking about something unpleasant. "Never mind," she said in a tight voice. "Forget I said anything."

Under ordinary circumstances, Rin would have pushed for an answer, but Octavia had been so understanding about her pain that it didn't seem right to force her to relive hers. Rin happened to catch Shippo's attention from across the plaza and gave him a hesitant wave. The kitsune beamed and leapt down from the table, knocking over a fruit crate as he bounded towards the spot where she and Octavia were standing. Kohaku bent to retrieve the fruit, but halted when he looked up and met Rin's gaze. The rhythm of her pulse doubled when he smiled at her, then tripled as he rose to his feet and marched over to them with purposeful strides. What was happening? Was she ill? She had to be. It was the only reasonable explanation for her body's shortcomings.

"How's your head?" she blurted out, redirecting her gaze to Kirara.

The nekomata was in her altered form, as she often was once the danger had passed. She miaowed and rubbed herself against Rin's leg. Despite her cheery mood, there was a sizeable lump on her head where the grappling hook had struck her. Rin reached down and scooped her into her arms. The nekomata purred as Rin scratched behind her ears, then snuggled into her chest.

"Who's your friend?" Shippo asked.

"This is Octavia-san," Rin replied. "She's a mage. She travelled through the Bone-Eater's Well just like Kagome-sama did. Cyril-kun is helping her with her magic. Or was before everything that went down with Tsunayoshi."

"A mage, huh?" said Kohaku. "That's pretty cool. My name is Kohaku, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you," answered Octavia. "I met your sister a few months ago. Big biceps must run in the family."

He laughed. Rin shot her a chastising look, but Octavia responded with a wink.

"And I'm Shippo," the kitsune announced, puffing out his chest. "Also known as the youngest ever student to graduate from the Fox Demon Academy."

"I thought you were on sabbatical because you were struggling to complete the final task," Kohaku mumbled.

"It's not my fault that nine-tailed foxes are damned near impossible to find!"

Kirara lifted her head and miaowed in discontentment. Chuckling, Kohaku leaned closer and scratched beneath her chin. "Don't worry, girl. We haven't forgotten about you." He looked at Octavia and said, "This is Kirara. I've known her since I was a baby. When we were little, my sister and I used to ride everywhere on her back."

Octavia peered down at the tiny nekomata. "Both of you? At the same time?"

Kohaku and Kirara exchanged a knowing look. "You'll see," he said. "She may be small, but she has a big personality."

Rin jolted when Kohaku lowered his hand and grazed her elbow with his fingers. The touch sent a pulse of electricity shooting through her entire body.

"How did you get through the Bone-Eater's Well?" Shippo asked Octavia. "I thought only Kagome and Inuyasha could do that. And didn't it close for good after Kagome came back?"

"I don't really get it either," Octavia muttered. "I didn't know it was a portal. I thought I heard a voice coming from inside it, and when I went to investigate—"

"A voice?" interrupted Kohaku. "What kind of voice?"

Octavia's brow crinkled. "I'm not sure. It was more like an echo."

"What did it say?"

She hesitated before answering. "Come."

Kohaku frowned. "That's it? You didn't hear anything else?"

Octavia shook her head. "No, but it sounded . . . unfinished. Like there was another word after it that I couldn't hear."

"Is the well still open?" Shippo queried. "Or has it closed again?"

"It wasn't working when we left Musashi. I have no idea if it is now, though."

"What would you do if it was? Would you go back?"

Rin's stomach sank. She hadn't thought of that. If the well reopened, would Octavia return to her own world? Or would she choose to stay?

Octavia flashed the kitsune a smile and said, "Why would I? There's nothing left for me there."

Rin's heart leapt. Unlike Kagome, Octavia had nothing tying her to the other world. She had no family to rush back to, and she seemed content to shirk any past responsibilities she might have had. This place was her home now, and despite everything, she had found herself a new family. Regardless of where she'd been born, she belonged with them. Beaming, Rin shifted Kirara into the crook of her arm and clasped Octavia's hand. The young woman glanced down at their joined hands, then locked eyes with her. The fading daylight made her purple iris sparkle like a jewel.

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Once the final rays of sunlight had disappeared behind the mountains, people started coming out of the woodwork in pursuit of wine and other alcoholic beverages. It was a clear night, so the moon and stars were fully visible, much to everyone's delight. Rin sat cross-legged on the grass, nursing a cup of ice-cold mugicha between her palms. Now that autumn was here for the long haul, the air had developed a slight chill that was a welcome reprieve from the lingering heat of the day. Letting her eyes slide closed, Rin lifted the cup to her lips and listened to the surrounding chatter as she drank.

"Never have I ever . . . kissed more than one person in the same twenty-four hours."

Octavia took a big swig of sake, making the others gasp. "What?" she laughed. "Where I come from, that's just your average house party. Besides, I'm pretty sure I remember Lord Susumu having a wife and a mistress, who he absolutely shares with said wife, so there. Not so weird now, is it?"

Rin was glad that she'd insisted on watching as opposed to playing. It was a strange game, but she couldn't deny that it was entertaining. Players took turns presenting various scenarios, whilst the rest of the group had to respond by either drinking or not drinking depending on if they had done the thing in question. The aim of the game was to get as blackout drunk as possible. So far, Kannika was losing by a landslide. Seeing the demoness's clipped wings and missing fingers still made Rin's chest ache with sorrow, but she knew better than to let Kannika know that. The only thing worse than torture in her eyes was being pitied.

The scenarios grew more and more outrageous as the night progressed.

"Never have I ever pretended to be sick to get out of something."

"Never have I ever peed in the bathtub."

"Never have I ever engaged in role-play. The sexual kind."

Nagisa downed her drink in one. "Taro and I wanted to spice things up a little. It was fun."

"My turn," Octavia announced. "Never have I ever turned my underwear inside out so that I didn't have to wash it."

"Eww!" shrieked Kannika.

"Have you done that before?" Nagisa asked with a grimace.

Someone snorted. "That's nothing. In my tribe, we don't believe in confining our beans to those annoying cloth harnesses you all love so much."

Rin stiffened. She knew that voice. Turning her head, her eyes took in the details of Koga's appearance. His entire upper torso was wrapped in bandages, and he was wearing a long navy haori to hide the welts and bruises on his arms. They should have healed ages ago, but he'd lost so much blood during the battle that his body's regenerative abilities were working more slowly than usual. He must have felt her staring because he made eye contact with her, causing her to flinch and look away.

Octavia, on the other hand, seemed delighted to see him awake and on the mend. She leapt to her feet and threw her arms around him, receiving a pained grunt in response. "Easy," he wheezed. "Some of us are still recovering."

She pulled away. "Sorry. I'm just glad you're okay."

He grinned. "Don't sweat it. I'm glad, too. Dying back there would've sucked ass."

Rin's chest burned as Octavia returned his hideous smile. Why was she always so nice to him? He was a cruel and nasty brute who massacred whole villages just for the hell of it. Couldn't she see that? Did she even care?

Maybe she's in love, Rin thought. She hoped that wasn't the case. Octavia was way too good for the likes of him. She deserved someone who would treat her like a princess, not a den mother whose sole purpose was to give him children. The idea of Octavia living out the rest of her days in a stinky old cave full of those awful beasts made her feel physically sick.

"It's good to see you again, kid," Koga said. "You're looking well."

Rin ignored his attempts at diplomacy.

"Jaken told me what you did to the bastard responsible for all this," he continued, gesturing to the ruined gardens beyond the plaza. "Nice job."

She shot him a fierce glare. "Don't patronise me. I'm no longer that frightened little girl who trembled at your feet. I've learned a thing or two since then. Like how to protect myself. And if someone hurts me, or any of the people I care about, I kill them."

She saw his throat bob, but he didn't respond to the threat. Rin kept her gaze low as he chatted with the others.

Octavia waited for him to leave before shifting her focus back onto Rin. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Rin nodded.

"Alone."

Sighing, Rin followed her out of the plaza and into the gardens.

Once they were out of earshot, Octavia turned and flashed her a despairing look. "What the hell was that? He was complimenting you—"

"I don't want his compliments," Rin hissed.

"Then what do you want?"

"I want him to leave you alone!"

"Why?"

She laughed. "Why do you think! I've seen the way he looks at you. Believe me, nothing good will come of it."

Octavia looked distraught. "I already told you it's not like that." Her eyes softened as she continued speaking. "I know he hurt you, Rin. I haven't forgotten that. And neither has he. I'm not asking you to be chummy with him, but he saved my life—"

"What about my life!" she yelled. "He stole it from me! If Sesshoumaru-sama hadn't been in the woods that day, I'd be dead!"

"Keep your voice down—"

"No! I won't let you talk me into keeping the peace at the expense of my dignity! I can't just pretend it didn't happen because he did a few noble deeds here and there! He's the reason I died, and I will never, ever forgive him for it!"

Octavia opened her mouth to reply, but paused when something beyond Rin's shoulder captured her attention. Rin turned and almost choked on her own tongue. Lord Sesshoumaru's eyes gleamed in the darkness like two burning candlewicks, boring holes into her shocked face. How long had he been standing there?

"How much of that did you hear?" Rin whispered.

"Enough," he replied.

She bit her lip, unsure of what to say next.

Lord Sesshoumaru glided forwards like a wraith, then stopped in front of her, forcing her to raise her head and meet his gaze. "You have every right not to forgive that which has hurt you," he said. "No one is forcing you to make peace with your tormentors. Only you can make that choice, Rin. However, it is both naive and foolish to deny that people can learn from their mistakes, and decide to change for the better."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "You mean like you did?"

He nodded.

"It's not the same," she argued.

"You're only saying that because you have borne witness to my more magnanimous nature, but what you fail to realise is that very few others have glimpsed that side of me." His pupils thinned. "When we first met, I was a different man—one you would not recognise if you happened upon him today. The truth is, I am to someone else what Koga is to you."

Rin's eyes started to tingle. She couldn't imagine anyone feeling that way about Lord Sesshoumaru, regardless of what horrors he'd inflicted upon them. He had been nothing but good to her, right from the moment they'd met all those years ago. To this day, the worst he'd ever done was snarl at her, and even that hadn't been motivated by cruelty. He'd never once harmed her, or raised his voice in anger, or made her feel like a burden. But it hadn't been like that for Inuyasha. Lord Sesshoumaru was his sworn enemy, and rightfully so. After all, their relationship had been the antithesis of Rin's bond with her two brothers.

I am to someone else what Koga is to you.

Her nails dug into the meat of her palms as she balled her hands into fists.

"We're all someone's monster," Octavia said.

Rin looked at her with watery eyes. "I'm sorry, Octavia-san," she sniffed. "I was angry, and I took it out on you. If you really want to be with him, I won't stand in your way."

Lord Sesshoumaru surprised them both by snorting. Rin arched an eyebrow and shot him an expectant look.

"Don't be a fool," he said. "She is far too good for that flea-ridden wolf."

Rin was so taken aback by his nonchalant response that she couldn't help but laugh. "That's what I said!"

Octavia rolled her eyes. "You're both insufferable."

"You would know," Lord Sesshoumaru fired back with a smirk. "It must be a side effect of your influence."

She flashed him a wry smile. "No, it's definitely you."

Whilst they walked back to the plaza, Rin couldn't help but be suspicious of how quickly Lord Sesshoumaru had shut down her concerns about the nature of Octavia's relationship with Koga. He had even paid her a compliment by saying that Koga was unworthy of her affections. It was true, of course, but Rin was more surprised by the fact that Lord Sesshoumaru had actually made the admission out loud instead of keeping it to himself.

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