Chapter 65:
Naraku scowled as Hakudoshi gave him a report of what had happened with regards to his mission on killing Arisa. He turned to where Kagura was sitting, and looked at her in sarcasm.
"If only someone led the way using a different road."
Kagura shuddered a little, and looked down.
"I didn't know Kohaku was nearby." She replied in a show of regret, but deep inside she was smirking.
Serves you right, manipulative bastard.
"Oh, really?" he said cynically, rendering her tongue-tied.
I've wasted too much time on disposing that woman. I will kill her later on after I find the last of the jewel shards.
He thought as he stood with a troubled expression to prepare for his journey.
At dawn, Sesshomaru and Arisa returned to the rocky valley where Jaken and Ah-un were waiting. As expected, Jaken was freaking out over Arisa's disappearance. His jaw fell open when he saw her coming with his lordship behind her.
"So you followed Sesshomaru-sama after all!" he complained, and she gave him a short laugh.
"No, I did not! Some things happened after I watched him, so—"
"You watched me?" Sesshomaru interposed dubiously, and her face contorted upon realizing what she just said.
Oh, great. There goes my secret…!
Nervously, she faced him and explained.
"I…uh…teamed up with my shikigami to follow you, so I watched the whole thing about how you dealt with Sara…"
"You really are stubborn." He said in an exasperated tone and went closer to her. She closed her eyes in anticipation of something rash, but she only felt a soft flick on her forehead. She blinked in surprise, and saw him already near Jaken, squinting at him in disappointment.
"Please forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama!" he repeatedly begged while bowing.
"It was my fault, Sesshomaru. I helped Kohaku on my own, thinking he was free from Naraku's control…!" Arisa quickly exclaimed in defense of Jaken, as she felt sorry for him.
"You could've felt his aura." he answered back in disbelief.
"That was the problem. I didn't feel Naraku's aura from him…"
"Are you saying that Naraku can suppress his aura if he wants to?"
"…probably. But I'm not sure."
"Hmph. As long as that boy uses the shard, he will never be free from Naraku's corruption."
"Makes sense…"
"Don't cause unnecessary problems. You need to be careful from now on."
She felt dejected at his honest reminder, but she accepted it.
"…yes."
With that, he turned to his heel and walked ahead while they followed him from behind.
You won't have to be troubled by me anymore. You'll be back to being the Sesshomaru who had no extra baggage to take care of in the first place.
She looked at his back with sad eyes, but she had already decided. She would leave by nighttime, so at that moment, she mustered up the courage to do the 'little things' she wanted to do, except confessing her feelings.
I want to remember everything there is about him.
During the whole course of their trip, Arisa laced her fingers in his, much to his bewilderment. Though he deeply glared at her initially - he granted her permission in the end, which made her happy; an obvious blush painting her cheeks for some time. But, he didn't respond to her gesture at all, which slightly disappointed her. Nevertheless, she was satisfied because he allowed her anyway.
And when they took breaks, she would always stare at him like she was memorizing every inch of his existence. He scowled at her many times for doing so, but that didn't stop her. Ultimately, he gave up and tolerated her sudden, strange whims.
Night came, and they settled on one of the forests along their way. Arisa excused herself for a while, claiming that she needed to empty her bladder.
"You can do that without having to tell me." He said sketchily with his eyes closed in annoyance.
"…my bad." She replied nervously, and then scurried away from him.
Once she found a cloistered spot, she took one of the sacred sutras that the monk had given her and summoned Shiroi, her shikigami.
'How may I be of service to you, Miss Arisa?' she greeted at once, and it made Arisa feel embarrassed.
"You don't need to be so formal to me, Shiroi-san. Besides, this will probably be the last time I'll summon you.'
'What do you mean by that?'
She was worried that someone might be able to hear them, so she decided to put up a protective barrier around the two of them.
'Why put up a barrier?'
"…for privacy purposes. We, umm, need to talk fast…because I don't know how long I'll be able to maintain this barrier."
'I see. So then, what mission will you give me?'
"…I am going back to the modern era, where I really came from."
'Such a world exists?'
"Yes…"
'But we just sealed our contract.'
"Yes…but I have reasons. Who knows, I might still be able to summon you there."
"I will take note of that. So for now, I am not going to break my connection with you."
"Fine with me, it's your choice. Now, let's get into business."
'Go ahead.'
"Are you capable of making me totally invisible? I mean, I am technically there but I can't be seen, smelled nor heard by literally anyone."
'Hmm…I can, but I will have to take over you completely. So, you'll need to give me detailed instructions of what you're going to do. '
"Can you make a replica of me after that?"'
'Yes, I can.'
"Alright…! But first…can you do an errand for me?"
'Wow…that's quite a load of work, but I'll do it."
"Thank you. I need you to go to Kaede-san's village – by the way, she's the younger sister of the famous former priestess named Kikyo. Then, please ask her for some herbs that are effective for putting powerful demons into deep sleep temporarily."
'The village where Kikyo used to live…yes, I am familiar with that.'
"I'll be waiting for you in here."
'Got it.'
Shiori had reached Kaede's village shortly, and was able to find the hut where Kaede lived. She introduced herself as Arisa's shikigami, and she was impressed with it.
"Oh my...I didn't expect Arisa to have mastered the nine cuts in just a matter of time. At any rate, please wait for a moment. I'm not sure if I still have some of it left."
After rummaging all of her apothecary materials, she had found a few and immediately gave them to Shiroi.
"However, I am not quite sure of its effectiveness. It's been stocked for quite some time already."
"This will do, Kaede. Thank you for your assistance."
With that, Shiroi quickly flew back to where she left Arisa, offered her the herbs she was looking for, and informed her about Kaede's warning.
"A minute will suffice."
'What do you intend to do with those?'
"I will have to numb his senses. He's too sharp; he'll be able to detect my movements."
"…"
"Now that's settled. Next, you'll have to come with me physically. Transform when we get there and hide somewhere near among the trees or bushes, as long as you can see me. I plan to have a short talk with Sesshomaru and after that, I will light these up. But before I leave…I…"
Arisa stopped talking, and soon, her face turned red like a tomato.
'What's the matter?'
"I…uhh…plan to…kiss him on the cheek…something like that."
Shiroi let out a soft chuckle at her response.
"So my hunch was right…you are in love with this demon. No wonder you were stalking him that much."
"Oh, stop it! I might die of embarrassment right now."
'Okay, I apologize.'
"The exact moment I lean away from the kiss, take charge of me immediately and run until we're a distance away. Then, go to a wooden well located in a forest clearing. It is also near Kaede's village."
'Understood.'
'Thank you so much, Shiroi-san. I am counting on you.'
After that, Arisa and Shiroi both went back; and the shikigami transformed into a speck of light and hid on within the bushes once they reached their "campsite".
Arisa quietly approached Sesshomaru, and sat beside him.
"I know you're sick of me being near you, but please don't chase me away right now."
He looked at her with a dubious expression.
"So there is a reason why you are doing this."
Her face twisted comically to hide her guilty expression, after almost being found out.
"T-there's no reason for this…!"
"Hmph. I won't chase you away, so do what you want."
She pumped a fist, and started a conversation with him that was mostly about random things. Then towards the end, she decided to ask the most crucial part, and it could possibly change her decision; even if she knew the outcome.
"Sesshomaru…"
"I expect that what you are about to say next is sensible."
"Is it fun being with me…?"
He looked at her with eyes that were quite menacing.
"Did I not tell you—"
"I'm serious, Sesshomaru." She cut him off, and gazed at him with unwavering eyes. He was speechless for a moment, but sighed right after.
"…It is bothersome."
It was quite a blunt reply, and it made her feel like a huge brick was thrown at her face. Still, she didn't let it affect her and plastered a smile on her face.
But, Sesshomaru wasn't actually finished. He was about to say something more, and just had to be interfered by her sudden laugh. He had lost his momentum.
"Oh, I see…! I'm terribly sorry for all my inconveniences."
Sesshomaru was certainly surprised of her abrupt apologies and questions. Even Jaken who was minding his own business looked at her skeptically upon hearing her say sorry so formally. The dog demon wanted to ask what this was all about, but he wasn't given the chance as she proceeded to speak.
"Anyway…I hope you won't forget about me."
That declaration hit him weirdly, and it made him upset. He frowned at her, but his eyes flickered with uncertainty.
"Enough with your silly talks and go to sleep. We're early tomorrow." He said in a strict tone, officially dismissing her for the night.
"…alright. Good night, Sesshomaru."
He didn't respond even if he knew she was waiting for one. She gave up on it before long, and dejectedly went to sit beside Jaken.
"Hey Jaken…listen carefully to me."
"What for?"
"I know we weren't in good terms at first, but now I consider you a friend. Please continue to take care of Sesshomaru."
…for me.
"Of course I will! You don't need to tell me that. I have devoted my life in serving Sesshomaru-sama."
"Awesome, but I said to care for him. There's a difference."
"Hah? What exactly is the difference?" he asked, but she brushed his question off and changed their topic.
"Can you set up a bonfire?"
He looked at her in total confusion. "Why'd you only ask that now?"
"To warm the place up. It's cold, you know." She replied with a nervous laugh; and despite his qualms, he obeyed her.
"Is it Sesshomaru-sama who gave you that pendant?" Jaken asked as he prepared the fire, and Arisa quickly clutched it.
"Yes…why?"
"It's nothing. Giving you something wonderful such as that means he values you."
Her heart raced at his sincere comment, but a guilty smile formed on her face. She didn't say anything after that though, and just waited for him to finish. And when he was, she went close and reached for the herbs she hid in her pant pocket. She lit them and soon, smoke wafted the area as she put them on the ground.
"What's that for?"
"...incense for a good night's rest."
She said as she lied down and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.
Jaken and Ah-un instantly fell as victims at its effect. As for Sesshomaru, he considered it weird that his eyelids were suddenly becoming too heavy. Before he had to confirm what was causing it, he was already in a slumber.
After sensing her success, Arisa got up and gave both Jaken and Ah-un a gentle pat on their heads.
"Thank you for listening to my requests. Be well, you two."
She then went closer to Sesshomaru who was sleeping soundly. His breathing was calm, and she could see a few stress lines beneath his eyes, as illuminated by the moonlight. But as she continued to gaze at him with sad eyes, her decision to forsake the feudal era faltered. She abruptly shook her head, and noticed that the herbs were almost used up. It was a sign that she had to take action.
No, I must be firm with my decision. This is the best for him…
She shuffled a little closer to him, and gripped the pendant on her neck. Then, as she planted a soft kiss on his cheek, tears started forming on her eyes.
Goodbye…Sesshomaru. I won't ever forget you...even if you do forget about me. And…I don't want you to hate me more, so I will keep these feelings of love for you to myself. That alone will keep me from regretting…
Once Arisa parted from Sesshomaru, the herbal incense ran out and Shiroi took control over her in an instant; rendering her temporarily non-existent. Then, she made a replica of Arisa sleeping and put it on the spot where she was lying down; just seconds before he would come to notice.
As what her master had told her to do, Shiroi ran fast with the speed of a wind's even if she was using her body. The tears that Arisa held back flowed on her face, and she felt genuinely sad for the lady as she wiped them away.
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