Alright, I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that I'm back, continuing on the Princess Mononoke story arc I began sometime around Wrestlemania/April. The bad news is that it's going to take me a bit longer to write and update this story because of school and a personal project. Doesn't mean I'm going to stop, though it will take me a few more days to update than usual. Like my last story, it is helpful if you read the previous one. Still, should make some sense if you haven't.

Ashitaka threw his arm over his eyes to shield them from the rays of light that shone through the gaps of his window screen. It was always like this during summer; the sun would arise during the early hours of the morning and shine brightly until late at night. Ashitaka found it to be more pleasurable than winter, when the sun would be constantly blocked by dark clouds of rain and snow, but it was still annoying. At least during winter he could light a torch to see in the darkness and wear extra clothing to fight the cold. But during the summer, he was at the mercy of the humidity, the heat, and the beaming sun. He crawled across the floor to the window and better closed the screens. As thin as they were, they did a good job of blocking out the light when they were adjusted properly.

Even though it was still early, Ashitaka decided to get ready for the day. As he was getting out of his nightclothes he remembered that today San was supposed to arrive with their daughter so the two could stay in Irontown with him for two weeks.

Three years ago, San gave birth to their daughter while Ashitaka was staying with her in the forest. It was sudden; the two were mulling around the pond when San suddenly doubled over and told him that she was feeling a great amount of pain. Once he knew what was going on, he began to help her through the ordeal. The experience was scary since he didn't know how to properly deliver a child. Seeing San's face contort in agony and hearing her piercing scream echo throughout the forest as if she was being tortured did not help either. His mind was racing with many scenarios while she was in labor, a great many of which absolutely horrified him. However, after almost an entire day of helping San deliver their child, his panic fled as he laid his eyes upon their daughter for the first time. San's face, covered in sweat and with tears rolling down her cheeks, brightened from sorrow to joy as Ashitaka handed her their child.

"Ashitaka, she's beautiful." She remarked.

"Yes, just like her mother." He said.

Months before their daughter had been born, the two decided on a way to raise their child in a manner that would reflect both of their lifestyles. For the first two weeks, Ashitaka and San would raise her together in the forest. Ashitaka would then return to Irontown while San raised the child in the forest for another two weeks. After that time had passed, San would come to Irontown with their child and the three would live there. After another two weeks, San would return to the forest while Ashitaka took care of their child in Irontown. Ashitaka wished that he and San were able to live together more often, but his duties in Irontown and her lingering disdain for humans made it too difficult for them to do so. Still, it worked out well enough for them and their daughter was happy.

Ashitaka knew that San would be here soon. She always woke up early and it seemed that their daughter inherited that trait as well. He finished dressing and went into the main room to see what he could make for breakfast. Just as he pulled a bottle of preserved berries off of a shelf, he heard a knock on his door. He immediately set the bottle down on the table in the center of the room and opened the door. As soon as Ashitaka opened the door, his daughter ran into the house and hugged him, reaching up to wrap her tiny hands around his waist.

"Hi, daddy!" She greeted as she pressed the side of her face against his leg.

"Hello, Kaya," He said as she ruffled her soft brown hair. He and San had named her Kaya Moro Mononoke, combining the names of his sister, San's wolf mother, and the name given to San by the residents of Irontown. "Hello, San."

San entered the house and kicked the door closed behind her. "Hello, Ashitaka." She greeted as she wrapped her arms around him while he put his free arm around her. Her hair had grown longer and was kept in a braided ponytail. The tattoos on her face, currently hidden by her clay half-mask, were still as red as before and her physique had changed very little, though she was a bit taller and was now Just a hair shorter than Ashitaka. Ashitaka hadn't changed much either, though he grew his hair out and began to wear it in a bun similarly to when he lived with the Emishi.

"How was your stay in the forest, dear?" Ashitaka asked Kaya.

"It was fun," She replied, "Mother was teaching me how to play hide-and-seek with the animals."

For a brief moment, Ashitaka thought that she actually meant the game. Then he realized that San was teaching Kaya how to stalk prey like a wolf. "Perhaps one day she'll teach you how to play tag with them."

"She said she might next time we're in the forest. She said she wanted to ask you first."

"I'll talk to her about it." San removed her mask and headdress and placed them on the couch on the opposite side of the room. "I have some toys for you in the bottom drawer of my dresser. Why don't you go play with them?"

"Okay!"

Kaya ran off to the bedroom while Ashitaka sat next to San on the couch. "How is she when she's tracking animals?"

"She needs to continue practicing," San replied, "She makes too much noise and even speaks sometimes while we're trying to sneak up on our quarry. And if you think I'm putting her in danger, don't worry. We only stalk smaller prey such as squirrels or rabbits."

Ashitaka was relieved. "Has she ever caught any?"

"I haven't taught her how to give chase yet. I go after whatever we are following if we actually need food."

"She sounds like she enjoys it." Ashitaka remarked. He could hear Kaya playing with what sounded like a spinning top. "She's taking to both of our lifestyles very well."

San nodded in agreement. "I was thinking of teaching her how to swim once I teach her how to hunt."

"Are you sure she's old enough?"

"I was able to swim was I was her age, if not younger. She should be fine."

Ashitaka didn't protest since he was confident San knew what she was doing. San held Kaya, who she referred to by the child's middle name, very near and dear to her heart. The only other human that she gave such affection to was Ashitaka. She still seemed to hold some resent the residents of Irontown, though that didn't keep her from going out with Ashitaka into the town. When she did go out she seemed to speak less than Kaya did with the other townspeople. She seemed shy around them, which Ashitaka found funny since her wolf side was much more eccentric and quirky. He believed that it was because she never socialized with other humans until she was a young adult.

"What are these?" Kaya asked as she walked out of the bedroom holding a stack of cards.

"Those are playing cards, Kaya," Ashitaka replied, "they're used for games that adults and children play."

"Can we play a game?"

"Not right now; I need to work first. We can play afterward."

"Can I come with you?"

Ashitaka thought about bringing her for a moment. He knew that he could bring along San since she could hold onto his waist while sitting behind him, but Kaya was too small to fully reach around him and he couldn't carry her while holding Yakul's reins at the same time. Of course, he could just patrol around the farms by foot. "Sure, but I need to let Yakul out first. Do you want to come along, San?"

San nodded and stood up from the couch. She would much rather be outside the town's walls than staying indoors or walking around the town. The last time she was walking around Irontown alone, which was before she gave birth, she had a confrontation with a man who lost his son to the wolves several years ago and had too much to drink that night. It took several townspeople, including Ashitaka, who had heard the commotion, to pull her off the man when he spat in her face. After that incident, she stayed by Ashitaka's side whenever she was in Irontown.

Ashitaka went to the stables and told Yakul that he would be working on foot and let the elk out so he could exercise, run free, and wander around in the nearby forest and mountain. Whenever he let Yakul out, he usually didn't return for several days. Ashitaka was fine with this since he knew that Yakul preferred to be free and away from the stables. After Yakul vanished into the forest, Ashitaka, San, and Kaya went over to the farms to watch the area. Ashitaka knew that there wouldn't be any trouble. After Hanto had died, trouble was rare in Irontown. The most serious incident to occur after his death was a slight scare several years ago; the townspeople became alarmed when they heard a shrill noise coming from the forest. It turned out it was actually San when she was giving birth to Kaya. Ashitaka and San sometimes joked about how their daughter managed to scare the townspeople before she was even born.

Upon the advent of twilight, the three returned to Ashitaka's home. Ashitaka and San prepared dinner while Kaya went back into the bedroom to play with the toys in the dresser. As they were finishing up, Ashitaka looked outside the window to see that there were dark clouds in the sky.

"That's weird," He commented, "there aren't usually clouds like that during this season."

"Nature isn't very predictable," San pointed out, "but you're right. Even I haven't seen clouds like that before during this time of the year."

Ashitaka brushed it off, believing it was simply a bit of odd weather.

After they had finished eating, San changed Kaya into her nightclothes before she and Ashitaka changed into theirs. Inside the bedroom was a cradle for Kaya to sleep in while Ashitaka and San slept on his futon. Kaya had already fallen asleep, silently resting under her white blanket. As she and Ashitaka lay down to sleep, San remembered that the window in the main room was still open. She told him that she'd close it and went to the main room.

San began to close the window but stopped when she noticed that it was raining. "This really is abnormal weather." She said to herself. She looked outside and noticed that there was more than just rain. The mountain was completely covered by thick fog and the sky was much darker than it would normally be. As she peered outside, she noticed that there was a woman on top the rooftop of a house across the street. She thought was strange; even she knew that standing on rooftops was something humans normally didn't do. As she continued to examine the woman, she noticed something even more unusual: the woman was licking her hand. She thought that maybe the woman had drunken too much. Maybe the woman was crazy. She didn't know. She closed the window and returned to the bedroom. "It's raining outside." She told Ashitaka as she lay down next to him.

"I noticed," Ashitaka said, "I can hear the raindrops outside. It will probably clear up in the morning."

San nodded and rested her head on a soft pillow as Ashitaka laid an arm across her. She didn't think the woman outside was important but thought that perhaps Ashitaka would want to hear about her. "There's somebody on top of one of the houses across the street," She said, "some woman who I think was licking her palm."

Ashitaka was surprised but not alarmed. "Do you know who she is?"

"The only women I know in this town are the one who shot you, Toki, and Eboshi." San hesitated before saying Lady Eboshi's name. Despite learning that "that woman" was her mother, she still had trouble saying her actual name since she always called her "that woman" for many years.

"Maybe I should see who she is." Ashitaka now stood up and went over to the window. He opened it and looked outside and saw the woman San was talking about. As San mentioned, the woman was standing on a rooftop and was licking her hand. She didn't seem to be looking anywhere in particular. "Hey!" Ashitaka called, "You might want to go inside!" The woman did not react and simply continued to stand and lick her hand. Ashitaka tried to call out to her one more time but still received no reaction. After a while, he gave up and closed the window. "Perhaps one of the guards will see her." He said to himself. He lay back down next to San and the two drifted off to sleep. The rain disappeared from their minds quickly and they thought nothing more of it. Still, they both wondered why that woman was standing out in the rain while licking her hand.