A Princess Mononoke fan story
By Jikuuharuto
Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke. I just love it so much that I want to write a fanfic about it! Also, many thanks to my beta readers!
Author's note: I'm calling the wolves Takeru and Takeshi once again.
Chapter One
Ashitaka stood by the wooden palisade wall as he listened to the women of Iron Town sing their work song, the sweet lyrics sounding to him like a choir in the background as he looked up into the night sky. The cool night breeze blew as a smiling rifleman walked past him on his regular patrol.
He looked at the mountains surrounding the lake around the town; the forest had re-grown so much that he couldn't see a difference from when he first stepped into the forest and this very moment. He took the time to enjoy the scenery, which was quite relaxing for him, as he had found life extremely taxing as of late. Eboshi had been pushing him hard to assist her in just about everything from re-planning the town to escorting the ox drivers on regular supply trips to nearby towns and cities.
He sighed as he looked into the distance. A small, faint shadow was visible in the distance, on a high rock formation that he recognised as the place where, she, had first verbally threatened to kill him. A howl no different from a wolf's was heard, and immediately the riflemen at the wall instinctively turned to face the outside, thinking that the wolves were attacking once again.
"Don't worry. She won't be attacking us," Ashitaka said to the riflemen standing by the wall.
"How can you be so sure?" one of them asked, a hint of worry in his voice. Evidently, they needed more time to adjust to the fact that he had forged a truce between the two sides, and was trying as best he could to maintain it. "You never know…"
On the rock, San howled once more, facing Iron Town, which looked like a match struck in pitch darkness. The light from the town and its forge illuminated the darkness around it, and she found it quite an eyesore.
Ashitaka… I know you can hear me, thought San. It's been so many moons since we last met.
A sudden low growl caused San to instinctively spring to her feet and brandish her spear, made from a wolf fang and red wood. She gritted her teeth as she spun around and prepared to stab whatever it was, her adrenaline rushing through her veins. Momentarily holding that position, she realised that it was just her two brothers. They had an odd knack for moving around silently when they didn't want to disturb her, but this time, they wanted to speak to her.
"San…" started Takeshi. "You've been here every night the past three moons." He got up and walked to her side as she lowered her spear and scratched his head with her right hand. "We know you miss him dearly."
"Yeah, I do. But I don't want to go down there. I hate that place, and I hate the humans there!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, we know that, but there's one human you don't hate… It's him," replied Takeru as he joined his brother on San's right. He was correct. Ashitaka was a human, but he was unique – he fascinated her in so many ways she thought impossible by humans! He was always putting himself in the middle, trying to stop all the conflicts that might take place. A true advocate of peace, indeed. He was so important to her; she truly wanted to be by his side, but he just never came to visit like he said he would.
"Come on, San. Let's go home," suggested Takeshi. "It is getting very late."
She stood facing Iron Town for a few silent moments, then let out one final howl, after which she hopped on Takeru's back. The trio then charged back into the forest toward their home, deep in the forest.
Ashitaka turned away from the wall a few minutes after the last howl. He knew that San wasn't there any longer, so he decided to go back into the town. San… Just wait for me, please. I promise, I will come to visit you. Just as he was about to walk into the living quarters he had been allotted, he decided against it. He turned towards Eboshi's garden, where she usually spent her evenings checking on the previous lepers' guns.
The rifleman guarding the entrance nodded in acknowledgement as Ashitaka responded in kind, and walked on towards Eboshi, who was looking at her plants. "Ashitaka? What brings you here this time of night?" she asked as she turned to him.
"I'd like to leave the town for a while. I just thought I should inform you."
"All right, but where are you going? The townspeople will need your help, you know."
He had to be honest. He wanted to be with her, and from the increasingly desperate tone of the nightly howls, he could sense that San wanted his company as well. "I want to visit San, Princess Mononoke."
Eboshi's expression did not change. She nodded in understanding and said, "You're free to visit her. I can take care of the town for now, but I might need your help later on. How long are you planning on being away?"
"I'll only be a few weeks at most. I'll be back before next month."
One month… That is quite long, but I guess he deserves it… He's been working long and hard all this while. I'm sure he misses the wolf-girl, thought Eboshi.
"All right, Ashitaka. You have one month."
"Thank you," he replied as he spun on his heels. A smile was barely visible on his face as he turned and walked out of the garden, clearly quite elated about meeting San again, after such a long period of separation.
That night he tossed and turned in his bed as the very thought of being in San's company enveloped his mind and occupied his every waking moment. Indeed, it would be wonderful. He smiled as he finally stopped turning left and right, trying to calm himself down. Just one more night…
The following morning, he awoke to the drumming of the rain against the ground and the roof, and immediately he sighed. He grabbed his mask and cloak, then put them on and ran towards Yakkul, who was right next to the building. As the rain sneaked into his shirt and drenched his sleeves, he mounted Yakkul and made for the main gate. The townspeople greeted him with sceptical looks, wondering why he was dressed like this all of a sudden. It was a sure sign that he was leaving, and they honestly didn't want him to go. He gave them a sense of security; he was an ambassador to the forest and was also their protector. It seemed that he could always find a way to stop any sort of fighting between two sides, and worked as a mediator, if an occasionally violent one when the situation called for it.
"You're leaving?" asked Toki, stepping out of the bellows once she noticed Ashitaka passing by on Yakkul.
"Yes," he answered as Toki followed him.
"You're going to see that wolf-girl, right?" Ashitaka nodded, making his way down the path. He knew that they constantly referred to San as 'the wolf-girl', and had grown accustomed to it. "Okay, then. Take care of yourself!"
"Thank you," he said in reply, smiling with his eyes closed. "I'll be back in a few weeks." With that, he took off on the great elk's back, charging down the muddy dirt path, leaving Toki behind.
The men at the gate were about to let the gate slam shut, when Ashitaka zipped by. "Hold it!" exclaimed Gonza as the last of the ox drivers and the oxen carrying rice came in. The men who were operating the gate struggled to hold their positions; the weight of the gate was too much to bear for too long, and they knew that Gonza was going to take quite a while to speak to Ashitaka. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going to the forest!" he replied as he rode away on Yakkul. Relieved, the men let go of the spokes protruding from the contraption that opened the gate, and it slammed shut.
"Sometimes I wonder why he does these things…" muttered Gonza as he turned and headed back into the town.
"Come on, Yakkul," he urged, to which the elk charged across the open grassland. "Let's stop by the lake. I need a quick bath." The elk stopped by the lake near the bridge, and he dismounted, removing his clothes and shoes, draping them over Yakkul. He then dove into the lake, which was now full miraculously of fish. Evidently, the Forest Spirit had brought life back to every single part of the forest. After a few minutes, he went back to the bank and clothed himself, then mounted Yakkul again. "Let's go!"
Yakkul sped through the forest, through the thick undergrowths and over synthetic dirt paths that lead to and from Iron Town. Life was abundant in the forest now; everywhere, there were animals and insects and plants of all sorts now!
"Where was their den?" wondered Ashitaka aloud. Yakkul immediately stopped and changed his direction, understanding that Ashitaka wanted to go there. The trip was smooth despite the rain, and it was a good thing that the wolves' den was atop a rock formation. There would be no slippery mud to scramble up, so the journey upwards would not be as difficult as it would be if it had been a hill.
Once he was at the top, he dismounted Yakkul and hurried inside, his adrenaline gushing through his body as he thought of seeing San face-to-face. However, he saw nobody inside. He only saw a bearskin blanket and a bed of leaves, which he had slept in before. Curious as to where she was, he went out and began shouting her name to get her attention.
"She's out hunting with my brother. She'll be home soon," said Takeshi as Ashitaka yelled even louder. All the shouting was hurting his sensitive ears, which had been trained to detect the slightest sound. "Meanwhile, you can wait for her."
"All right," replied Ashitaka as he headed inside. Takeshi jumped off the top and entered as well. The only true respite from the rain was a shelter such as this; the trees would not suffice. Ashitaka wondered why Takeshi would be here while San and her brother went to hunt. He assumed that he was either too tired to hunt, or some other plan or routine that they had.
"I'm sure you know by now that San has been on that hill every night for the last few moons, howling towards that godforsaken place of humans. She clearly misses you dearly."
"I go to that wall and look at where she howls from every night. The howling gets louder and more desperate every time."
"Yes… We've noticed that too. You know, this isn't a very healthy thing. You're always on her mind now. She seems to be lost in her own world at times, and at others, she appears to be simply unable to concentrate on anything."
"I see." Ashitaka nodded in acknowledgement, then lay against the wall. He wasn't tired, but he was hungry. He had had nothing to eat that morning, and he was trying his best to suppress his hunger. As if to answer the cries of his starving stomach, San announced her presence with a howl as she leapt off Takeru with the spoils of her hunt in hand. She was carrying half of a young boar, whereas Takeru had the other half of the flesh in his mouth. Immediately, Takeshi moved out of the cave to join his brother for breakfast, while San walked inside.
"Ashitaka!" she exclaimed, almost dropping the food in her hands. She quickly put it down and he greeted her with an embrace.
"I know it's been too long, but I had no choice." San was just glad that he was here. Finally, after so long, she was actually truly happy for once. She didn't mind that he hadn't come to visit her as often as she would have liked, but at least he was now here. "I'll spend the next few weeks with you before I return to Iron Town. All right?"
She nodded and broke the embrace, grabbing her knife and slicing the boar's flesh apart. Ashitaka looked curiously on as she swiftly and cleanly cut the boar into pieces, which made it far easier to consume than the way her brothers did. They could easily rip the flesh off with their massive jaws and razor-sharp fangs, but San was different in those ways. She possessed neither the massive crunching power nor the mighty fangs that they did, and thus had to improvise.
Ashitaka sat beside her and grabbed a piece of the raw boar flesh. It had a tough feeling to it; evidently, the boars were strong as they were. Then, he began to wonder how the boars should exist here. They should have been wiped out in the massacre so long ago, but now, right before his eyes lay half the carcass of a boar.
"What's wrong?" enquired San as she stopped chewing the meat in her mouth. Ashitaka had to suppress the involuntary action of laughter as he listened to San speak with a full, bloodied mouth. Indeed, it was quite the joke, the fearsome wolf-girl chewing her meat and talking with her mouth full of it.
"Nothing. Where I come from, we were taught to cook our food before consuming it," replied Ashitaka as he fiddled with the piece of flesh in his hand. He turned it over and over, some of the blood splattering onto his face on occasion.
"Cook?" San asked as she swallowed her meat, puzzled. Never before had she come across such terminology when her mother brought her up.
"Never mind," replied Ashitaka as he put the meat into his mouth. It had a very foreign feeling and taste to it; he had never eaten boar's flesh in this manner before. He always cooked his food the way he had been taught, and it had since become a routine to do so. However, it would take forever to explain to San what it meant to cook. Even then, she wouldn't actually need to know about it – she had been raised as a wolf, and would eat, sleep, drink and breathe like one the rest of her life.
Once breakfast was over, Ashitaka lay on the same bearskin blanket he was in a few months ago. He looked outside at the lake and the forest below, and at the grey storm clouds above. Evidently, the rain was going to continue for quite a while. This was a welcome sight, however. Recently, the weather had been warm, and cases of dehydration and heatstroke within Iron Town had risen exponentially. That was one cause for worry; he was placed in charge of the general welfare of the townspeople! Fortunately, Iron Town was built in such proximity to the lake that water was never an issue.
"How've you been these few months?" he asked, having spent a few moments staring outside.
"I don't know what this feelings is... Every night, I went to that hilltop to howl, but I don't know why."
"I know. I saw you every night at that spot, and I watched and listened to you until you left," came his honest reply. "I should have come to visit you sooner, but at least I'm her now, and I'll be here for quite a while," he added with a grin. San absently fondled the crystal dagger that Ashitaka had given her as she sat next to him in the den, ignoring her brothers' mischievous yet suspicious looks.
"We'd best leave them alone," said Takeshi to his brother.
"I still don't trust the human."
"You will have to in time to come. He is, after all, her potential mate."
"Hmph."
Both wolves turned and walked into the forest, leaving the duo to their own devices. Indeed, it was absolute bliss for the two to be united once more. For too long, they had been separated.
"Why don't you like the idea of them being together? I find it very fitting."
"For one thing, he is a human. San may look like a human, but at heart, she is a wolf."
"But… Their feelings for each other are certainly genuine. Can you not sense it?"
Takeru felt tempted to bite into his brother's neck at the mere mention of that. He was very protective of San, and he certainly did not like the idea of San being with a human, of all things. However, it was a fact that San was physically human.
"Yes… Yes. But… San cannot…"
"My brother, there are some things we cannot stop. We must not try to break them apart. All that would do is bring more pain to our dearest sister. Surely you would not wish that upon her?" Takeru turned his head towards the cave, which had by now become a tiny rock formation in the distance. Takeshi was right; there were some things that were uncontrollable, particularly relationships between two parties.
"You are right... However… If he harms her in any way whatsoever, I will kill him myself."
Takeshi mentally sighed. His brother lacked self-control, but sometimes, it could be a good thing. Indeed, some things were uncontrollable… Things such as his brother's temperament, which was one thing he and San had in common.
That afternoon, San and Ashitaka left the wolves' abode and leisurely rode on Yakkul through the forest, in all its beauty and serenity. San sat in front of Ashitaka and leaned back on him, her spear placed on her lap, its pointed end facing her left. Ashitaka held her by the waist, his arms wrapping around her such that his left hand would be touching her right hip, and his right, her left hip. She leaned back against him as Yakkul randomly walked around, grazing whenever Ashitaka gave him the signal to stop.
"I've never seen such a beautiful forest," commented Ashitaka as Yakkul continued walking through the forest. "It's even more beautiful than when I first came here."
"The Forest Spirit brought the forest back so quickly… It's amazing."
Ashitaka nodded. He had never had the time to truly enjoy the scenery of the forest. The events that had taken place prior to Eboshi's slaying of the Forest Spirit had happened so quickly that he was always moving quickly everywhere without time to settle down and enjoy the serenity of the forest.
"Hmm… How about a change of pace?" suggested Ashitaka. San suddenly looked up as Ashitaka tapped his heels on Yakkul's side, a signal that initiated his conditioned reflex. And indeed, that reflex was to run at maximum speed. Yakkul sped through the forest, bursting out of it through the dense undergrowth and into the open as his riders sat through the ride. The elk slowed down as the slope gradually got steeper downhill, so as to let gravity assist him in maintaining downward speed.
The wind hit San hard in the face as Yakkul continued downhill, drying her eyes and stinging her cheeks. Even as Yakkul slowed, she could still feel the wind against her face, as if it would be eternally there. It had become the most natural thing of her life for that amount of time, and even when Yakkul stopped charging recklessly through the forest, she could still feel the rushing of the wind. The feeling would linger for quite a bit of time.
As the trio came to rest at a hilltop sheltered by the thick overlapping canopies of the tall trees, they noticed that the massive downpour had deteriorated into a lazy drizzle, which could barely count as rainfall.
"What did you do that for?" demanded San as she stabbed a finger into Ashitaka's back when he dismounted.
"I couldn't resist. I was in high spirits then," his hearty reply came. She could do little but smile slightly as he mounted Yakkul once more. She followed suit, sitting behind him this time, as he signalled for Yakkul to return to the wolves' den. It was already evening; the remaining meat from the morning's hunt would not last until dinnertime.
Upon their return, the two wolf brothers immediately blocked their path. Takeru demanded, "Where have you been? We could not find any of you when we returned, and your scents trailed away into the forest."
Only after he had finished his sentence did he realise that San was capable of taking care of herself; that San had every right to choose what she wanted to do. She was no longer a child!
"We were letting Yakkul run around the forest, and we rode along with him," answered San.
"San, you know better than to run where we cannot find you!" Takeshi added for Takeru, who was now speechless. He could say nothing more, as he had already cornered himself by questioning her thus, and he felt rather relieved that Takeshi was assisting him, even if only for now.
"I'm not a pup anymore! I can take care of myself!" she exclaimed as she dismounted Yakkul. Takeru stepped aside with his head lowered, a sign of submission. Takeshi followed suit, and Ashitaka also dismounted Yakkul, who continued on his way to the den.
"All right… We will ask no further," Takeru stated, a slight growl following his sentence. San made no response, but held her spear in her right hand as she stepped forward.
"It's time for our hunt. Let's go," said Takeshi, making his way into the forest without a word. Takeru looked at Ashitaka, who had draped his cloak and mask over Yakkul, and was now running towards them. "As for him…"
"The human stays!" Takeru yelled in his deep, low voice, growling.
"What's wrong with you?" Takeshi whispered. "Have you forgotten what I told you!"
"This is a clan activity!"
"He's one of us now, is he not? Calm down!"
Takeru simply growled and turned away, walking through the woods as Ashitaka caught up to them. "What happened?" asked Ashitaka as he caught up to them. San followed the wolves as they went through the forest, Ashitaka following to her left.
"He just doesn't like you very much," San plainly stated, noticing that her brother had suddenly stopped. She immediately crouched, her spear in hand. The hunt had begun. Their prey had not yet noticed their presence, and that was a good thing. The two wolves fanned out to the sides while San went forward, looking back once to confirm that Ashitaka was still there. In fact, he was following behind her with one of the swords forged by the Iron Town blacksmiths in his hands.
Suddenly, all activity stopped as the deer they were targeting continued to graze on the grass. Evidently, it had strayed from the group it was following. Normally, food would not come this easily. As if they were psychic, all three of the Wolf Clan sprang from their cover within the undergrowth, with San letting out a battle cry as she brought her spear to bear. The stunned dear dashed forward only to be blocked by Takeshi, who bit into its neck as San drove her spear into it. The resulting gush of blood coloured both of their faces crimson as Ashitaka came forward, Takeru to his rear.
Once they were certain that the deer had perished, they quartered it swiftly, consuming the meat immediately. That morning, they had only brought the food back because Takeshi wanted to stay and watch over their home, but since they were gathered here, they decided that they might as well have their dinner on the spot.
Eating food raw was not too foreign an experience; there were times when he had had to eat raw flesh to survive. However, he was more used to having cooked food in his bowl. He mentally sighed and cut away at the flesh, eating his fill while ensuring that the blood did not overflow and stain his clothes.
The trip back to the den was uneventful and awkwardly quiet, and the night sky was full of glimmering stars, which was something that could not be seen from Iron Town. The industrial work affected the view of the night; it clouded the stars from sight. Fortunately, the iron works in the town were not as big as they were before, for fear of incurring nature's wrath. Ultimately, in a struggle against the forces of nature, those opposingnature would lose.
Ashitaka took his place on the bearskin, sitting with his legs crossed. He faced the moon, which was a beautiful sight to behold. The night breeze blew through the den, and brought about a sensation of coolness in the place. San sat to his left, facing where he was looking but seeing nothing of particular interest.
Unconsciously, his mind drifted back to that night when Moro had spoken to him about San's fate. He didn't want her to die as Moro said she would. He wanted to find a way to live with San without having to side with either world; the humans or the forest. Siding with one would result in more pain and hatred being created, so he would have to adjust accordingly, and somehow appear to be neutral whilst helping both sides. He then looked at her in the eyes, and she returned the favour.
"Ashitaka?" she began. "I'm not sure what I've been feeling recently. It's confusing. Whenever I think of you not by my side, my heart seems to hurt. But when I think of you being by my side, it aches even more."
"San, don't worry. I won't leave you, no matter what happens. I'll always be near." With that, he brought her into his arms, and she simply rested her head on his chest, putting her ear to his heart. The warmth he gave her was comforting, and it calmed her more than anything else could. Ashitaka lay on the bearskin with San on top of him, and they remained as such until the darkness that was sleep took them.