As the sun started to rise in the east in a modest display of faint orange, Ashitaka secured his cloak around him and headed into the Forest north of Irontown. The renewed sun had yet to touch the forest to light it up in a dazzling display of shimmering emerald lights, leaving the Forest an ominous mix of black and deep greens. The tangled roots sprawled along the top of the soil entangled with green and brown vegetation. Ashitaka found it hard to believe that only a few months ago, this part of the forest had been utterly destroyed by the forest Spirit and then revived within moments after his death. He thought back to all the months of working alongside Lady Eboshi to help restore Irontown into a better place for its citizens. Ashitaka was again amazed at Lady Eboshi's ability to organize all the towns people, while at the same time making them feel useful in the restoring of Irontown. It was hard work, yes, but at the end of a long day, resting from the sun's heat and dust of the town with the rest of the towns' people all laughing together, Ashitaka agreed with fondness that all their effort was well worth it. And now, Ashitaka headed willingly in the early morning into the Forest to see the one person he had not been able to see for a while now.
San lay back in the grass waiting for the sunrise. She watched the stars dim their lights for the fast approaching presence of the magnificent sun. The early morning breeze whispered from the west, carrying the scent of her wolf brothers. As the long grass caressed her cheek, San's eyes began to close on their own accord until the sliver of the sun rise matched the gap between her eyelids and her eyelashes were black trees standing to salute the sun. Suddenly, the massive white wolf brother to her immediate right sat up and turned his ears attentively to the east, his nose, twitching. His ears flicked forward as a dark figure made his way assuredly towards them, heading up the rise of the hill with the sun at his back, the tiny wild flowers blooming in their wake. The ancient trees ringing the grassy field were alight with a new dazzling brilliance of emerald green. The soft smells of earth and flowers wafted on the wind with new energy, erasing away the memory of the decaying night. San rested a moment more, tensing her muscles watching the arrival of the new comer. His strides were long and confident; the shadows on his face were serious, but not unkind. Indeed, with the arrival of a new day's light shining to grace his face, the dark brown eyes revealed a humorous glint, almost mischievous, and the strong set of his mouth hinted at the ability to speak and laugh with kindness. San studied the straight line of his broad shoulders and the surprising elegant dip of his jawline; he was all self-respect and handsome diligence. She braced herself. As he came closer, San's wolf brothers stared at him, disinterested. San sat up herself, her arm across her propped up right knee, slowly rolling a long blade of grass between her fingers, trying not to look too happy to see him. He finally came to a casual stop a few feet from her and her brothers. The sun reached its position above the tree tops and all was still. He was the first to speak amidst the idle flower seeds floating in the golden air
"Hello, San."
San acknowledged him with a dip of her head. With a gentle half smile, Ashitaka gracefully sat down beside her on the grassy slope with his back to the north. San's wolf brother settled back down to lie on the ground beside his brother, the both of them not taking their eyes off of Ashitaka for a moment.
"How have you been San?" Ashitaka inquired after a few silent moments.
"As well as I can be, with you humans so close to us." She inwardly winced at her clipped tone-she cared for Ashitaka; she just couldn't forgive the humans he had been working besides these months past. Ashitaka merely nodded. He looked up at the light blue sky, thinking, and then smiled softly and said,
"If it interests you to know, the town's people want to rename Irontown. Since they have turned to farming, and are no longer harvesting the iron sands, they wish to rename it 'Saisei'. He paused. "It means Rebirth." He added softly. He turned to San. "It's fitting don't you think?"
San inspected a flower. "I suppose." She said.
"But Ashitaka," San started with a frown. "Do you truly believe that damn woman about making no more iron? Farming seems too unambitious for her." San finished with a growl. She turned to look at Ashitaka. He looked pensively straight ahead and San could see that Ashitaka had considered the same doubts. Eventually he shook his head gently and turned to look at San.
"Lady Eboshi promised me and the people herself that she would work to make Irontown a better place. Before with the iron, all the surrounding Shoguns wanted the iron because of the profit it had in the market, and you saw how they were willing to wage war to get it. Lady Eboshi made a promise to put her people before any benefit. That's why I believe that Lady Eboshi has given up any thought of making more iron because if she didn't it could bring harm to her people again." He turned to look more directly at San. "Do you believe me?" He asked hopefully.
San looked directly into his eyes. He always seemed so sure of himself. Not once had San witnessed Ashitaka hesitate. But she knew that Ashitaka was still cautious around that damn woman. Only a fool would underestimate her after seeing her take the head of the mighty Forest Spirit for the sole sake of earning protection for Irontown, despite everything her wolf tribe and Ashitaka had done to stop her. San knew from the bottom of her heart that even though Irontown may be called Saisei now, the battle between the beasts belonging to the forest and the humans was not over. Not by a long shot. They were humans after all: cruel, jealous, selfish ones who easily forgot suffering and anguish. But San and her brothers would never forget the sight of two mighty gods-one her own beloved mother-dying all because of humans' blind ambition, fear, and greed. Saisei. Rebirth. The names almost made her laugh if the action did not require her to choke on grief. Despite the dark thoughts churning in her mind, she knew from the tingling in her heart and from the heat on her skin that this man before her, beloved Ashitaka, was different from the rest of his kind. Almost like she was from her wolf brothers, no matter how much she abhorred the fact. As she looked at his caring face San knew that she would do anything to protect him. She wanted to care for him like he did her, but first she knew that the old Irontown would have to see much more bloodshed and death than it already had in order to earn its peaceful name. As Ashitaka had said before, the Forest Spirit was still alive all around them; he was life itself. However, San knew that life requires death.
Ashitaka saw dark lights flit through San's eyes before she answered him. It mourned him; the hate she still held against humans, despite the fact it was sheer hatred that had caused his curse and the near destruction of all the forest and Irontown. However, if those things had never happened Ashitaka knew he would never have meet San, and he would not be sitting here right now: because eventually of all they had went through together, San had grown to care for him. Ashitaka knew it was life-growth and inevitable death. He just wished he could shake off the foreboding feeling that another war was brewing and that the curses of hate made in this land were not buried deep enough. Ashitaka wanted so much to take San in his arms again to hold her close as if to cleanse all the hateful feelings she had through his tender touch. But Ashitaka knew that this contact would not be enough. San would have to feel for herself what it meant to be human before she could ever be at peace with her tribe's deep hatred towards the humans. That's why he wanted so desperately for San to come live with him-for her to embrace that she was human. Ashitaka almost laughed out loud. San would slit his throat if he dared breathed a word of his innate desire. Instead he smiled wryly. Then he saw San look more resolutely into his face, her mouth set in a grim line. Ashitaka's heart sank, but did not break. Not yet.
"No." San took a deep breath. "But believe me when I say, Ashitaka, you mean so much to me that I wish I could say yes. But you feel it don't you?" San stood up to lift up her arms to the sky. "The world yearns for the ancient days where the hearts of the humans are only terrified enough to scurry through time like rats. Humans have always done what they want, but the earth always requires that the humans pay for their arrogant ways. I made peace with you Ashitaka, but not with your breed. Not after what happened to the Forest Spirit's forest." San brought her arms down to hug herself. Ashitaka could see bitter tears start to hug her eyes. He sighed but said,
"In time, San, I do believe that you will see that people change for the better: we just have to have faith and trust in them. People feel alone awfully easy; they need people there to encourage them to do better. That's what I believe. Lady Eboshi can do what's right, and that she can, and will, be a strong leader for the people of Saisei." They stood silently for a few moments looking at each other. The wind rushing through the trees and grass reminded Ashitaka of the first time he and San had stood side by side looking at the new growth after the Forest Spirit's death. San had seemed accepting of what had happened, and Ashitaka thought that she could only not forgive the humans, that she no longer harboured feelings of intense hate against them. But Ashitaka knew that such timid feelings did not last long in the face of the deep abyss filled with horrible memories and the feeling of loss-both of her mother and the Forest Spirit whom her tribe had upheld in the highest reverence.
San shook her head slowly. "I don't think we will ever see directly, eye to eye, Ashitaka. But it has been good to see you." She smiled slowly. Ashitaka looked down at the ground, disappointed, but when he looked up he had a positive smile. "I have waited impatiently to see you for a while now San. Let's enjoy our time together; I have to go back to the town soon."
San smiled in agreement. They spent the rest of the morning lying on the grassy slope gazing at the clouds, talking idly. Eventually Ashitaka had to leave. He waved cheerfully before striding down the hill back into the forest to the town. San watched him go with her wolf brothers waiting impatiently at her side. After he had disappeared into the forest, San swung onto the broad back of her wolf brother and with a swift turn they ran into the forest to the north. They had somewhere to be.