Chapter 71:

Sesshomaru had travelled too far away from the well that it took him at least 2 days and a half before reaching the place. However, he sensed the presence of a barrier at the well. Soon, the figure of a faceless lady in white occupied his view, and it was instantly aware of his presence; therefore turning to him.

'It has been eight days, and neither of them has appeared.'

Shiroi thought as she stared at the clear blue sky. It was her second to the last day of guarding, but much to her surprise, someone familiar had showed up, and she wasn't actually ready on how to deal with someone like him.

'May I ask what brings you here…?'

Sesshomaru looked at her condescendingly.

"Who are you?"

'I am called Shiroi, and I am Miss Arisa's shikigami.'

"Remove the barrier."

"My apologies, but I cannot do that."

He glared at her with impatience, and it completely shattered her inner calm.

…how arrogant. How could Miss Arisa be in love with a demon like him?

"I said remove the barrier."

'And I said I cannot do that.'

"You value that barrier over your life? Then so be it."

'It is more of valuing my master's wishes. Miss Arisa has told me not to let you pass through, no matter what.'

Sesshomaru's brows snapped together at her answer.

'Though, it is more surprising to see that you figured out what happened.'

Shiroi continued to say, and it made him fall silent.

And suddenly, Sesshomaru charged forward and attempted to strangle Shiroi. But at the moment he was about to throttle her neck, the shikigami disappeared and moved to another spot; but she was still near the barrier.

'I would never let a demon touch me.' She said with conviction that had a hint of disgust.

However, he continued to attack her, and she was barely evading his movements. It seemed like he was desperate in removing the barrier, and he'll do everything for it.

'If it gets worse, purify him.'

Shiroi suddenly remembered those words, but she was hesitant to do so. She knew how important Sesshomaru is to Arisa, no matter how rude he is. For now, she had to play with his whims until he gives up.

"This is a waste of time." he commented snappily and proceeded to stand a few inches away from the well. Shiroi was just on the other side, waiting for his next strike that she would avoid.

He pulled his Tokijin and struck the barrier with his full force instead. It took him quite some time before he withdrew, as the barrier was indeed strong. It even gave a few nicks on the sword's edge. Sesshomaru clicked his tongue as he sheathed it back on his hip.

Soon, he began walking back to the forest.

'Have you finally conceded?'

There was no response from him, and he just disappeared among the trees.

Shiroi deeply sighed in relief, because she didn't have to go serious with him. At the same time, she sniggered a little at his shallow sentiment.

As Arisa walked home a little before sunset, she came to a stop beside the pathway going to the forest.

Should I go over there…?

She was extremely tempted, but then she forced her eyes shut and quickly ran from the spot until she reached the gate, panting.

I can't just yet…

She gripped tightly on their gate's handle, and opened it sturdily. She went straight to her room and quickly changed into her casual home clothes; but didn't remove her necklace. Actually, the only time she would remove it is when she would take a bath. Even with the little counseling that she received, she still wasn't convinced.

At least for now…he will be able to dispose Naraku easily without having me as a hindrance. He probably has located his hideout and is fighting him already.

She thought, and a sad smile formed on her lips.

After a day of waiting for the results, Arisa was nervous on the morning she woke up until she went to school, to check on their examination imprints. She was worried about whether she would be able to proceed or not on the next semester without back subjects. And after almost an hour of agony, the sound of the intercom made her soul almost escape from herself.

'Your exam results are up, and we've posted the names of those who will go on as regular students for the next semester. Also, the names of the top 10 students for this semester are displayed, and they will automatically be offered a discount for the next semester's tuition fees.'

Everyone in the room gasped in awe and started gossiping about the possible top students while expressing their envy. Meanwhile, all Arisa could think of was passing the semester as a whole, considering the many classes she had missed.

She queasily went out of their room, and searched for her name in the list of regular students.

250. Yuikawa Arisa

She wanted to scream at that moment, and wanted the whole building to know how happy she was that she had survived the semester. Then, she searched for both of her friends names, and was happy to see them on the list. Shortly after that, Yukino and Mari came running onto her with smiles on their faces.

"Just how smart are you exactly, huh?" Yukino teased and slapped her shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Arisa asked, completely clueless of what they were about to say.

"You're in the top 10! You placed 5th on the final exams!" Mari happily announced, and her mouth fell open.

"No way…you're kidding, right?"

"Seriously, Arisa? Do we look like we're joking? If you want, come and see for yourself!" Yukino said and dragged her along with her towards the corkboard where the list was posted.

And as what her friends really told her, she saw her name on the list, landing fifth. She couldn't believe it, but she had to praise herself. Those three sleepless nights were worth it.

She readily turned around to get her bag and go home when she was met by a large, masculine hand that seemed to offer a handshake. She looked on to see who it was, and was surprised to see Kohei. He was smiling gently at her, a smile that was enough to make most girls squeal.

"I heard you placed fifth overall. Congratulations."

Despite being a bit tense, she formally shook hands with him.

"T-thank you…I didn't know you were there."

"That's fine. I was merely passing by and heard it from Yukino and Mari."

Both the mentioned girls blushed in embarrassment and smiled shyly.

"I see. Why are you here, by the way?"

"I submitted the necessary documents for a transferee. I just came from the faculty room, actually."

"Oh…okay then. Umm…I better get going." She said stiffly, and quickly walked off, but he grabbed her on the shoulder, making her stop.

"….just a minute, please."

Arisa looked at him in astonishment. It seemed like he was thinking of the proper words to say, and shyly, he spoke.

"Are you…free right now? Would you like to have lunch with me?"

Her eyes widened at his invitation. Half of her wished she was dreaming, and the other half wished he was joking. On the other hand, Yukino and Mari's eyes gleamed in excitement, and they both answered for the currently speechless Arisa.

"But of course, Kohei! She would love to, especially after the stress she felt during the exams!" Yukino said, and it made him smile.

"Awesome...! You two can also join us, if you like."

"Sure!" Mari replied, and then she and Yukino dragged Arisa along with them and followed Kohei to the school cafeteria.

The next day, Shiroi was definitely surprised to see Sesshomaru back at the well. This time, however, he didn't give a single glance at her. It was as if she wasn't there at all.

What the…?

He approached the well, and drew his Tenseiga this time. He tried to slice the barrier with it, but again, he failed. Although, the difference from drawing his Tokijin yesterday was that there wasn't any damage on his sword. He sheathed it back on his hip, and closed his eyes in defeat. He left the area just like that, and it made the shikigami wonder about his strange antics.

The next day, he went to the clearing again, but he had company. It was a travelling monk, who was visibly freaked out and trembling while walking ahead of him. Shiroi was seriously surprised at this. Though she was worried that her barrier might actually dissipate, she watched on to see what would happen.

If he has the same level of spiritual power as Miss Arisa, he'll be able to get my barrier down. I'll have to be prepared...

"Remove that barrier for me." He tersely ordered, and quickly, the monk heeded. He did everything in his power and he even had high quality materials. But, he wasn't able to get the barrier down. At the very least, he was able to reduce its stability.

The monk quickly knelt in front of Sesshomaru, begging for his life.

"Please forgive me…! The barrier's caster has greater spiritual energy than me…! Please, spare me…!"

Sesshomaru didn't answer, and was simply staring at him with an expressionless face. Shiroi was also alert, ready to defend the poor monk if ever he decided to kill him.

"Get your weak, disgusting self out of here before I change my mind."

The monk smiled in relief, and immediately scooted away from the area with his things in disarray. Sesshomaru sighed silently, and walked out of the place again. The shikigami was starting to have second thoughts about him.

And later on that same day…Shiroi was seriously flabbergasted at the sight of Sesshomaru and Kaede together.

'What in the world is he planning to do with Kaede?'

"You are the priestess who taught Arisa on how to wield her powers, am I correct?" the dog demon inquired bluntly once they were close to the well.

"…yes." Kaede answered, her tone a bit reluctant.

"You know what to do."

The old priestess heaved a deep, weary sigh and performed a few tricks to weaken the barrier. Shiroi acted up immediately in defense. She decided to speak to Kaede through telepathy.

'I am sorry, Kaede. But I must protect the well.'

"I understand. It's your duty as Arisa's shikigami."

'Thank you for understanding. But…may I ask why you are helping Sesshomaru?'

"I could not refuse him. His eyes were begging as he asked me to come with him. Believe it or not…he stayed outside my hut for hours, waiting for me to go with him."

'What…?'

"He seemed really desperate."

And after a few hours of hard work, Kaede finally dismissed herself.

"I apologize, Sesshomaru. That is the length of my strength, seeing as I am old too. The barrier is still strong, but its powers have weakened to half."

"That is enough to force myself in."

'You what!?'

There was a clear state of panic in Shiroi's voice.

However, Sesshomaru ignored her and proceeded to go through the barrier, starting with his arm. It was certainly rejecting him, and he was wincing in pain, but he didn't care.

Shiroi had finally seen through Sesshomaru's persistence in passing through the barrier. In other words, he wanted to see Arisa. She couldn't help but guess that he might actually be in love with her as well.

I am very sorry, Miss Arisa. Sesshomaru's actions have moved me. And besides…this is the last day as well.

The barrier disappeared just like that, and it stunned him. He glanced at Shiroi, and she gave him a short chuckle.

"You gave up, huh."

'Don't get too cocky. It's my last day of guard duty, that's why.'

"…"

'What are you waiting for? Go and get her.'

Sesshomaru didn't react or say anything to her words, and quickly jumped into the well. Soon enough, a bright light consumed him.

Kaede could feel that Shiroi was somewhat smiling.

"Did you expect this to happen?" the old priestess asked.

'I did not. It's just…love really works in so many ways…'

Kaede chuckled in Shiroi's reply, and after that, she bid her goodbye and went back to her village. The shikigami also vanished, and went back to the spirit world.

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