InuYasha- Chapter 393- The Convent
The group had all re-assembled, and had headed out on their journey once again. They had now ventured to a mountainous forest, and it was nearing sunset. Inside the dense woods, they had met an elderly man and had asked for clues. After a while, he had given them some advice, "You'll be crossing the mountains from here, right? If that's the case, you'd best be careful. Midway, there's a run-down temple. You should stay away from it."
"Ah," was Miroku's only response.
The man continued, "What ever the case, there's monsters that have come to live there. And the story is that they eat people."
Later, the group had continued their travels. It began to rain, the drops falling steadily from the clouds.
Kagome pulled out an umbrella, using it to cover Sango and herself.
Miroku stared up at the sky, letting the rain hit his face. "This isn't good. Darkness fell, even in the day."
"It'll be hard to make camp," Kagome responded.
InuYasha pointed his thumb at the building ahead. "Hey. There's a temple. Why don't we stay there?"
The temple looked dark and ominous, but was definitely a safe haven from the rain.
"Whew! We're saved!" Kagome sighed in relief.
Miroku smiled. "Should we go in?"
"Hold on!" Shippou shouted from the monk's shoulder. "Is…isn't that the temple? The villagers said there were monsters there…"
"I think so too." Sango looked up at the structure. "It is a gloomy old temple."
Miroku looked down at the kitsune. "Shippou, it's raining. Those favoring getting rid of youkai under a roof," Miroku said, raising his hand for a vote. Kagome and Sango raised their hands immediately.
InuYasha even raised his, "Sure, but the rain doesn't bother me."
Inside, they were greeted by a demon of no means. A nun stood in the doorway, her hands folded at her legs.
"Perhaps I can be of help," she said calmly, her voice wise, "If this kind of place is alright with you, please stay."
She had kind eyes, and fair skin.
There's a person here, Kagome thought.
Sango stared at her, a convent?
After everyone was settled, Miroku asked about the alleged monsters.
"Well, all the villagers say things like that…" she replied, lighting a candle. "Because there are no people that would come to visit this lonely mountain temple. Those kinds of rumors are always passed around."
"I'm afraid so," Miroku said. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them in his own, staring into her eyes. "Incidentally, Ama-dono, why have you become a nun? Someone like you is so young, and such a beautiful person."
"Um…"
"Houshi-sama!" Sango knocked Miroku upside the head with her Hirakotsu. "That's a fickle thing to say, isn't it?"
Miroku instantly let go of the nun's hands, placing his own hands upon his thighs in an apologetic bow.
The nun simply placed her hands together in prayer. "Please, have a pleasant stay."
In their room, Shippou sat by the candle, sucking a lollipop. "So the story of the monsters was a lie then? A threat."
InuYasha lay, with his head on his hand. "Something's here though. The whole temple is covered in the scent of youkai." He turned to the fox demon, curious as to why he didn't sense it. "Are you really youkai?"
"But then, is the nun from before one too?" Sango asked, feeling the opportunity for battle arise. She was still kind of mad that she had grabbed Miroku's attention.
InuYasha put Tetsusaiga upright. "No. The scent from that woman was definitely human."
"Oh?" Miroku asked, a lecherous glint in his eye. Sango glared at him.
Outside, the temple was bathed in the dark light of evening. Under the temple, a group of eyes glowed brightly. They came out, transforming from whatever they were, to a group of nuns. Their eyes were covered by their headdresses, ominously hiding their faces.
Back in the room, the candle had long since been burned out. Sango was the one closest to the door, followed by Kagome, Shippou, a screen, InuYasha, then Miroku. InuYasha actually sat parallel to the screen, making sure Miroku didn't get any ideas in the middle of the night.
Shippou peeked out from his covers, looking at everyone. Everybody's sleeping so casually! Though we don't know when the youkai will attack! I have to be reliable and keep watch!
Shippou heard a noise from the ceiling. He looked up slowly, fearing what he might see.
And fearful he rightfully was. A bundle of nun's hung from the ceiling, staring down at him with hungry eyes. Those eyes were wide and yellow, resembling Kirara's in a way. The nun's had fangs, shown when they smiled down at the fox demon. Shippou's eyes almost popped out of his head.
One of the nun's spoke, "The first visitors in a long time!"
"Yes, and there are tasty looking girls as well."
The nun's plummeted down at Shippou and Kagome, they're claws outstretched.
"Sankon-Tessou!" InuYasha shouted, slicing a few into pieces. Miroku cut some with his Shakujou, Sango some with Hirakotsu.
After all the nuns had been defeated, they transformed into their original form. A pile of dead cat demons were in place of the nuns.
"What the-?" InuYasha asked.
"They're ghost cats," Miroku informed.
InuYasha stared at them, a weird look on his face. "There things have haunted the temple, took people, and ate them?"
Ama-dono came to the door, holding a candle for light. She stared at the cats in horror. "Th-this is…"
"Hey, Ama-san?" InuYasha asked, staring at her out of the corner of his eye. "Didn't you notice all those ghost cats?"
Miroku stepped in front of him, "Well wait now, InuYasha. Ama-dono is afraid, isn't she?" Miroku clutched the nun's hands again, staring at her eyes. "I would be interested in hearing your story."
Kagome and InuYasha sat in front of the convent-leader, waiting to hear her tale. Miroku, however, had been pulled away by his ear by a certain fiancé of his.
Ama-dono spoke, "That it has become something like this…. Without sufficient knowledge, I hadn't noticed anything at all. However, there is actually an old legend to this temple. One hundred years ago, a priestess of exceptional power sealed a ghost cat. And buried it beneath the floor of this temple."
"Should we look around," Miroku asked, standing next to Sango.
InuYasha scanned the room, getting Tetsusaiga ready. "Yeah, whatever's going on with this temple…it's still reeking with the scent of ghost cats."
The men made their way outside, and under the temple. Miroku placed his hand to the side of his mouth, leaning in to talk to InuYasha. "InuYasha, tell me one more time."
"What is it?" InuYasha carried one of Kagome's flashlights in his hand.
"You weren't mistaken about Ama-dono being a human, right?"
InuYasha looked at him quizzically. "My nose is never mistaken. Is that a problem?"
"No, no. Actually, she's sexy, isn't she? It's a shame to let her go on and waste away in a temple. At least one transgression would be excusable, wouldn't you say? Ah-ha-ha."
Kagome stared at the floor, a glare on her face. "We can hear everything."
Sango stared at Ama-dono with murderous eyes. "When they come back, we can do the extermination."
"Ah."
Back under the temple, the boys had come to a hole in the ground. They crawled up to it, peering inside.
"These are…!" Miroku observed, staring down. The bones of a giant cat lay in the bottom of the hole. "The ghost cat's bones?!"
As soon as the words escaped his lips, the pile of bones floated up, re-forming. The remnants of the ghost cat stood before them, glowing in demonic aura.
Sango and Kagome stared at the door. Kagome sighed, "InuYasha and Miroku are taking a long time, aren't they?"
Behind the, Ama-dono's eyes glowed yellow.
