Chapter 60:
Arisa languidly sat down beside Jaken with a blank expression. She was awfully silent that it bugged him a lot; so he decided to console her.
"Oy, Arisa. Don't think too much about it."
"What are you talking about? I am not affected by it at all." She said, forcing a laugh.
"You should have just obeyed right away."
"…"
The awkward atmosphere was back, and Jaken really hated it. So, he had no choice but to start a pep talk with her.
"I know you have special feelings towards Sesshomaru-sama."
"What…?"
"Your actions are way too obvious not to notice."
"…fine. I give up, you got me. But please don't tell it to him."
Whoa…! I can't believe I was right!
Jaken thought as he tried to hide his bewilderment.
"Why not? He wouldn't mind at all."
"No! You definitely can't. I don't want him to shut me out…!"
Jaken looked at her in disbelief.
"Do you really think that after all this time, he would just drop you? I don't think so."
She looked at him with her eyes wide; speechless at his statement.
"By now, I wouldn't even be that surprised if Sesshomaru-sama admits that he feels something for you."
She felt her cheeks heat up on that explanation.
"D-don't be silly, Jaken! You know Sesshomaru. He doesn't have it in him to actually like someone." She quickly protested, and the little creature sighed.
"Before he met you, that is. But today, it doesn't seem that way anymore."
"Still…! No spilling to Sesshomaru. Got that?"
Jaken sighed once again.
If you were nothing to him, why would he go all the way to take care of you in your world? Why would he rescue you at all costs? Why would he worry over you that much and lose his cool when you seem to be in grave danger? Oh well. Here's hoping I would learn how to keep a secret from Sesshomaru-sama.
Even after all that, Arisa still couldn't calm down. She really wanted to follow Sesshomaru and see how he would deal with Sara. However, he was pretty serious about not following him, and she didn't want to anger him for real.
Then, Kaede's words crossed her mind regarding the use of shikigami. The problem is…she didn't have any sacred objects with her. But as she was about to borrow Ah-un to go search for a nearby village, a group of travelling monks coincidentally passed by, and that gave her a more convenient option. She chased them right after and called them out.
"E-excuse me…!"
One of the monks stopped and gave her attention.
"Yes, Miss?"
"Do you happen to have any spare sutras with you?"
"I do have lots of them, as it is a basic commodity for people like us. Why?"
Her eyes glinted with delight.
"Is it okay if I can have some of them?"
"Sure, why not?"
The monk proceeded to get a handful from his pocket and handed them over to Arisa. She smiled cheerfully at him.
"Thank you so much, mister!"
The monk's cheeks turned pink, embarrassed by her sincere gratitude.
"It's nothing, miss. I hope you'll be successful in your exorcisms."
She gasped at his remarks. "W-what do you mean?"
"You're an onmyoji, aren't you?"
"S-sort of like that…but I'm surprised at how you could tell it immediately."
"The spiritual energy you're giving off belongs to that of an onmyoji's."
"Oh…"
"Though, I'm much more surprised that you're hanging out with…demons."
"Ah, they're different. They are actually my friends." She replied with a soft chuckle, and the monk gave her a troubled grin.
"…I see. Then I better get going, as I'm quite left behind."
"Alright. Take care and have a safe journey." She said and they both bowed to each other before the monk took off.
"What are you going to do with those sutras?" Jaken asked Arisa as she went back to them.
"I'm going to summon a shikigami."
"Hah? But what for?"
"I'm going to watch Sesshomaru covertly." She replied with a wink, and looked for a hidden spot to perform the summoning.
"Don't you even think about it, Arisa." Jaken strictly reminded, but she laughed it off.
"This way, I won't have to go after him physically."
"Arisa…he is aware of your scent."
"As far as I know, a shikigami doesn't emit any smell or aura at all."
"…whatever. As long as you don't leave this place." Jaken resigned, and it gratified Arisa.
"Then, see you later!"
Though I am quite uncertain if I have mastered all the nine cuts…at any rate, I'll just give it a try.
Once she had settled down with a sutra in hand, she started channeling her spiritual energy into it and silently called out to friendly spirits.
A few moments later, a lady in long white dress, had short white hair but had no face responded to her request and appeared in front of her.
'I am Shiroi. What is it that you desire?'
Arisa couldn't believe her eyes. She was successful in summoning, and that meant that she had already mastered the nine cuts. She was very happy with her big achievement.
"A very nice day to you, Shiroi-san. I am Arisa, and I kindly ask you to form a contract with me."
'It would entirely depend on what you would like me to do.'
"It's…umm…simple, actually. To act as a messenger or you could…fight alongside me?"
Arisa heard her gasp, and it made her fret.
"I'm sorry if I have offended you with my conditions…! It's okay if you don't want to."
'No…they're quite alright. It's been a while since I've gotten in touch with a kind-hearted onmyoji.'
"I-is that so…? I am honored, Shiroi-san."
'Very well then. I shall accept your request.'
"Thank you, Shiroi-san!"
Arisa exclaimed, and smiled genuinely at her. She felt Shiroi's appreciation towards her, and that's when she tasked her with her first duty as her shikigami.
With Shiroi and Arisa's souls connected in the meantime, Shiroi had acted as the medium and transformed into a miniature ball of light. It followed Sesshomaru by sensing his demonic aura, relying on the information her master has given her. Soon, she was able to pick him up, and it led her to a cliff, overlooking the sea.
'I have found him, Arisa.'
Arisa's shoulders tensed with the news, and she breathed deeply.
'Thank you, Shiroi-san. Good work.' She replied, and transferred her line of sight on her.
Jaken, on the other hand, was curious about what she was doing. Quietly, he went over to where she was, and was taken aback at what he saw.
Arisa was glowing faintly, with her hands completely secured on the sutra. Her eyes were open, but they were white.
He attempted to call for her, but then he remembered that she probably didn't want to be disturbed.
"Her method probably worked." He murmured, and then left the spot to let her be.
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