Chapter 24:
Along their journey towards searching for a high quality material for Sesshomaru's new sword, they suddenly came across a demon's decapitated head on the road. As much as it reminded him of Naraku, it also reeked of Inuyasha's scent. But somehow, there was a different stench compared to Inuyasha's usual smell. Nevertheless, he picked it up and carried it over his shoulder.
"We head to Kaijinbo."
Arisa was disgusted at the sight of the demon's head, but she dismissed her thoughts about it. She then lifted an eyebrow at him.
"That is the only thing you'll need?"
"It is."
"But why…a demon's head?" she asked as she looked more carefully at it. She then saw a potentially dark aura emanating from it, which resembled Naraku's aura. The color drained from her face.
"Sesshomaru…no! Anything will do…just not that!" Arisa deeply protested; and this time, Sesshomaru was the one who lifted an eyebrow at her.
"It has the same vibe as Naraku's…!" she continued, her voice wobbly.
He smirked. "I have known that right from the start. Let's go."
"Then why—"
"Quiet. It is not you who will wield the sword." He said tersely, and Arisa's mouth snapped shut.
I swear! He is the most stubborn guy I have ever known…!
Soon, they reached a house that was a bit secluded from the nearby villages.
Together, Sesshomaru and Arisa went inside, and saw a man with thick eyebrows, looking like a lunatic.
Sensing their presence, the man looked up to see his visitors.
"Kaijinbo. Make me a sword from this." He said directly as he threw the demon's head towards him. Catching it properly, the man gave him a low, evil laugh.
"Sesshomaru? This would definitely make a fine sword…"
"Make sure it will be ready after three days."
With that, he simply left the house.
Meanwhile, Arisa was uncomfortable all throughout, remaining silent the whole time as she could felt Kaijinbo's dark-red evil aura. When she followed behind Sesshomaru, Kaijinbo called out to her.
"Young woman. It surprises me that you are with a strong, ruthless demon like Sesshomaru."
"So…?"
"It's nothing. Just an observation." He said, grinning widely. It suddenly gave her the scare, and quickly went outside.
Sesshomaru noticed her unusual frightened expression.
"Is something the matter?"
Arisa flinched. "N-nothing…!"
He studied her for a while, before going on his way.
Arisa felt pressured at how she do couldn't anything but heal and sense auras. She wanted to know how to attack demons with the power she had, and to defend herself as well because she didn't want to entirely depend on Sesshomaru all the time. She was able to do something with demons though, but she didn't know how to manage it. It was entirely coincidental, after all. Then, she suddenly remembered Kaede's words during her first days in the feudal era.
If you happen to have questions, just come at my village.
In an instant, she considered that suggestion and decided to search for that village once again. She can still remember how the village she went to before looked like, and Kaede said that her village was just a mountain away from it.
"Sesshomaru, you're going to wait for that sword, right?"
He only stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
"I know you won't abide if I will ask you to lead me to Kaede's village. So…I'm borrowing Ah-un for a while."
"I do not know anyone with the name Kaede."
"Oh, she's a priestess from a certain village."
Sesshomaru paused for a second. "Go ahead."
"Where will I meet you?"
"At Kaijinbo's place, exactly at dawn. We will leave you if you are late."
"That has to be a joke…"
"It is not."
"Okay! Fine, I get it."
Arisa went to Ah-un, gently petting his heads.
"Will you come with me, please, Ah-un?" she sweetly asked, her voice soft.
Ah-un just grunted, and readied himself. He gestured Arisa to ride on.
"Thank you…!"
Slowly, she climbed on it, and shortly after, they flew.
She was in awe as flying in the sky felt magical; that it was too good to be true.
"Ah-un, please lower down so I will be able to recognize the villages."
The creature obediently followed, as she tried to criticize every village she was seeing. And finally, she saw that village she once went and looked for a specific mountain. There, she spotted a village nearby, and had a huge feeling that it was Kaede's.
"Ah-un. Let's go there!" she said as she pointed out the village.
When they arrived at the village, the townspeople who saw her became extremely cautious that they had to go and call for the village huntsmen. She got shocked at the sudden hunting gears pointed at them. Ah-un started growling loudly.
"Calm down, Ah-un…"
Her animal friend did as she said, until she continued to speak.
"U-umm…we are not here to do harm. I'm only here to see Kaede-san."
However, they started throwing question at her one by one.
'What's with that strange clothing? And what would you want with Kaede?'
'What country did you come from?'
'And why are you with a demon?'
She huffed quietly at their interrogations.
Oh boy, here we go again with my clothes…
"Please, just tell her that someone named Arisa has come to see her. She will know."
They all looked dubiously at her for a minute before finally ordering someone to go and call for Kaede, and she sighed.
Geez…I didn't know trust issues were a big hit in the past…
She petted Ah-un while waiting for permission. Suddenly, the villagers who were doubtful of her moments ago were accommodating.
"This way, Ms. Arisa."
"Pardon us for our rude behavior earlier…" one man said with a nervous laugh.
"S-sure…"
Arisa looked around for an empty space where she could let Ah-un rest, but couldn't spot anything.
"Umm…is there some place where my friend here could stay?" she asked politely.
"If you'd like, we'll take him to the forest just near our village. There is a big, sacred tree over there which is perfect for him." The men offered kindly.
"Thank you! I'll allow him in your care."
One of the men led Arisa to a hut, and when she entered, the old priestess warmly welcomed her.
"You finally came, Arisa."
"Kaede-san. I was thinking that maybe there's something more I could do with my powers besides healing and sensing auras…"
"Oh…? So you weren't just an ordinary woman, after all."
Arisa laughed nervously at her opinion. "I…I guess so."
"At any rate, yes. You could do more. Maybe a weapon would come in handy. Like what I use, the bow and arrow. I usually infuse my spiritual powers on it, and when it hits the target, it would be purified and be gone."
"Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with weapons…and it would take me a longer time."
"Are you perhaps in a hurry?"
"Yes…I will only be here for three days at most."
"Hmm…I see. Well then, we'll have to settle with the arts of onmyodo, thought it is not my expertise."
Onmyodo…?
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