So many years had gone by.
So many years since their last goodbye.
And even as the spirit had vanished into the earth, they were still children of the Deer God.
They lived far away from each other, going on with their lives and trying to forget those treacherous and wonderful moments.
But as they moved on from that day, something never seemed to disappear. Something that always stayed in their hearts.
Their undying love.
Ashitaka and San knew this since the day they returned the Deer God's head to its rightful owner, where they saved both nature and the people around.
On that day they parted with the biggest, saddest, smiles.
Ashitaka had moved to the new village of what had been once the Ironworks. He had found that his virtue was to help the men and women in the village with the work and healing the injured.
San still lived in the forest where she grew up with her wolf siblings. Now that her Wolf mother was gone, she had to fight those who dared harm her home and all of the gods around them.
She still believed that man was the complete enemy of nature, with it's greed for material and power. She knew that they couldn't be trusted.
But one man was the exemption. One man who had changed her view on humanity. The man who showed her how different reality beyond the trees was.
Ashitaka, the man she loved and longed to be with all her life.
Now that she was old enough to secure a mate, she felt that no one else but him could be the one.
San missed him, longed for him, wanted to be with him... forever. But it was her responsibility to care for nature's health and she couldn't risk it for one man. But little did she know that the vanished Deer God had other plans for her and Ashitaka.
It was true that the creature was the being which could take life away... But it also could make a new one. And knowing the good will of both who had saved it, it wished to continue their legacy as the heroes of life.
It wanted to grant them their ultimate wish of being together and add some light to their life.
A thanks for saving the forest.
San washed her, now, long brown hair in the mystical river. Where once the Deer God walked on water, granting life or death to those who seeked the place.
Now that it was gone, only healing remained in it's beautiful crystalline lake.
Her naked body felt the bliss of comfort while bathing in the lake. Feeling the liquid touch her skin was enough to feel the acceptance nature had towards her.
She knew that the Deer God would always watch her and grant her it's warmth.
San closed her eyes as she washed off the grime and dirt from another day of watching over the woods. It was a well deserved bath.
Then, she thought of Ashitaka. The day she had brought him there for the spirit to save him.
She thought of his graceful face and strong body. The way he wrapped his arms around her in comfort when they thought it was the end of the forest. The courage he had for saving the god and risking his life for all living things. He was her inspiration to keep fighting for what she loved.
And as much as she loved the forest, Ashitaka was the puzzle piece that she needed and wanted to fight for.
"Ashitaka..." she sighed. "How I wish you could enjoy this with me..."
San breathed the air around her and smelled the different scents of nature and all it's glory. Even if her wolf siblings were busy somewhere else and she was physically alone in the lake, she knew that the spirit was there with her.
And she was not wrong.
"Guardian of the forest. Savior of the spirit. Daughter of nature.. Princess Mononoke."
San opened her eyes to the voice that filled her ears. She searched the place, looking for it's source, but found only the light of the sun shining in her direction.
"Who goes there?" She said, covering her naked body with the fur cape that lay near by a rock and grabbing the lancer that rested beside it.
"Do not fear my child... I come to grant your deepest wish. The wish to be with your lover."
Slowly, but with caution, San lowered her guard and stared in shock at the empty woods around her. "Deer God?"
She felt the reassuring warmth of nature around her body. It was the sign that it was the spirit she questioned.
"You are not the only one with the same wish... As the other savior in my story has the same desire as you, princess."
San grasped the fur cape tighter, a blush creeping on her cheeks. "Ashitaka wishes to be with me as well...?"
"Yes. He has since the day you parted."
Her hands trembled in utter happiness, as tears streamed down her face. "And you are gonna grant our deepest wish?"
"Yes. But with that you must grant one of my own."
"Anything you may desire Deer God."
"I want you to continue your legacy. The legacy of saviors that we all need. I want you and Ashitaka to coronate Nature with a savior like yourselves..."
San stared in confusion at the forest around her. "What do you mean, Deer God?"
"I want you to grace Nature with a new savior. An heir with the same wisdom of Ashitaka and the same strength as yours. Someone to watch over the grace of the world... A child."
San blushed, deep crimson. She knew that both humans and animals had to procreate and create new life for their story to go on. But she never thought that the Deer God would want her and Ashitaka to do the same. She always thought that it was better off if they weren't together anymore.
"Y-You mean for me to m-mate?" San said, tripping over her words. She imagined her and Ashitaka's bodies entwining and filling a gap that all life had. Like she had once seen, while wondering thru a village and peeking at a window of a private home.
"Yes. For you to create a new life with Ashitaka is my main wish."
San lowered her head and hid her deepening blush. It was the God's wish and she wouldn't oppose it as long as it brought her love back.
"Anything for you, Deer God"
Ashitaka looked around the mountains that were so familiar to his past. The past that he always remembered but tried to forget.
It was hard to face the memory of the horrid attack that almost destroyed nature and it's beauty. But it was also hard to forget the face of goodbye when he parted away from San. His San. His princess.
He wondered again why he was back to the woods where everything started. Where he met the love of his life.
Then he remembered the strange voice that had spoken to him while he healed a man in the middle of the new village that once was the Ironworks. The voice was like music to his ears. It wanted to fulfill his deepest wish to meet with San again. But in return for doing so, it wanted Ashitaka to return back to the woods he had saved once.
So he followed the mystical voice's orders and arrived to the Deer God's forest.
It was night time in the realm of his once sacred place. The sky was lit with a crescent moon and vibrant stars. The light that helped him come back, even if the forest wasn't too far away.
And as distance didn't really matter when it came to visiting San, every time he had gone thru the woods he had never seen San. It was all a repeated cycle of heartbreak when he couldn't see her. Ashitaka had almost given up on her.
Until that night.
He got off Yakul, watching the mountains in the distance. Remembering all those moments with his beloved.
Around him the cold breeze struck his clothing, making a shiver go up his spine.
Ashitaka wasn't the same boy from that fateful day when he and San had retrieved the Deer God's head. He was now older and much stronger. His hair had grown longer and he had earned a special place in the village he now lived in.
Ashitaka was treated like a god, even if he always tried to avoid the praise at all cost.
But he loved nature's praise. He loved how the sun arose everyday and hid to let the moon show its glory. The sun and the moon weren't asking for attention, they weren't selfish. And Ashitaka followed the same rule.
He awaited for the voice to talk to him again in its graceful tone. But only the wind responded to his questions.
He stared at the scar that had been left on his hand after the Deer god lifted his curse and wondered the reason why he had been brought there.
"What is it that you want from me, mystical voice?"
Once again, the air was his response and he looked down. He wondered about San and her whereabouts. How she was or if she was. Everything about her.
Did she still love him?
But his wonder was drawn short when a figure emerged from the shadows of the mountain he stood on.
A figure he was all to familiar with.
"Ashitaka!" A female voice screamed from the distance.
For a moment his mind ignored the voice, as he thought it was all from his imagination. But once his name was shouted again he felt as if his heart began to soar.
"San?! Is that you?!" Ashitaka screamed to the wind, watching the figure come closer and closer.
"Ashitaka!"
The figure became clear. A fur cape adorned the back of the figure along with long brown hair, a mask lay atop of the figure's head, a blue robe with a white longer one on the top covered it's torso, and all too familiar red markings decorated the beholder's face.
With his heart beating as fast as it did, Ashitaka ran to the figure. He couldn't believe what he saw and how much his beloved had changed.
San did the same as him. Taking in her lover's different look. How strong and mature he looked.
Then, the distance between them grew shorter and shorter until they collided, falling on the ground. They felt as if a lifetime had gone by since the last time they had seen each other.
The years that were full of longing and desire to see each other once again had gone with the wind.
Each year made those dreams seem far away and hard to reach, until now.
San and Ashitaka embraced each other in a tight hug, clinging to their robes as if their life depended on it.
"Ashitaka... I've missed you so much!" San let the tears paint a clear stream across her cheeks. She couldn't believe that it was him. Her Ashitaka.
"San. Where were you? I-I've looked for you everywhere in the woods for the past years and you were no where to be found!" Ashitaka held the same feelings as San, but was happy to finally be able to touch her and feel her near.
She nuzzled her head on his shoulder and hid her crying face, smelling the scent of wood on his robes. "I-I was guarding the woods... After t-that day, me and my wolf siblings were the o-only ones who could do it..."
Ashitaka caressed the back of his beloved's hair, trying to comfort her from her lonely mind. "You are the best for such a task. The Deer God couldn't be more proud."
San placed her hands on his chest and lifted her crying gaze to meet his. She still couldn't process how much more masculine and strong he was now. She could bet that all the ladies back at the village were swooning over him. That thought made her wonder... Wasn't he supposed to be married already?
"Ashitaka... Do you have a m-mate?" She asked in the shyest form possible, afraid of his answer. Afraid that all her dreams would be shattered by a knot.
Ashitaka frowned and got his face closer to hers. "No... I've had offers but non were of my interest..."
"But wh-?" San was cut off by Ashitaka's hurried tone.
"Because non of them were you! I couldn't marry someone that wasn't my true love!"
San blushed, shocked at his words. But a deeper happiness grew inside her and she couldn't contain the tears that it had pushed forward.
Ashitaka caressed San's wet cheek, trying to comfort her emotions. But he knew that her tears were of mear happiness and not pain.
As their souls longed for more, their faces came closer and closer, closing the distance between their lips. Soon their mouths were tangled in a perfect piece, the moment they had waited for so many years.
His hands drew her closer by the hips, while her arms came around his neck. It was all like the dream they had only seen in their sleep. And even if it was night time, they were completely awake and sure that it was all real.
They parted from their deep kiss and gazed into each other's eyes, unsure of what to do with the lingering desire to get closer.
Then, San remembered the Deer God's wish and blushed deeper than before. "Ashitaka..."
He caressed her cheek in a loving way. "Yes?"
"Did the Deer god send you here?"
Ashitaka stared in confusion at his lover. "The Deer God? I only heard a voice ordering me to come here..."
San looked to the side, embarrassed. "Oh."
"Do you know something I don't, San?"
She looked up into her lover's eyes. "Yes.. I most certainly do..."
"What is that then?" Ashitaka felt his heart beat rise as he awaited her response.
"The Deer God's spirit spoke to me... And it will grant us a life together... But in return we must grant it's own wish..."
Ashitaka stared at San's cute, embarrassed expression and suppressed his shock at her words. "A-and what does the Deer God d-desire?"
San looked to the side, unsure on how to explain the wish to Ashitaka. It was embarrassing enough to cry in front of him, imagine telling him that the God desired for them to have a child...
"Come with me... I'll tell you by the lake..."
So Ashitaka and San rode with Yakul to the lake that the God once walked on.
The crescent moon adorned the middle of the sky, illuminating the forest with its beautiful white light. In the middle of the forest was the small island that was full of life.
Ashitaka admired the beauty around him, of course, including his San.
San got off Yakul once they had arrived at the edge of the lake and watched as her lover stared at her in confusion and certain passion.
"San, why did you bring us here?" He said, getting off of Yakul and following San to the lake.
San stood quiet, her back facing him, as she did not want for him to see her blushing face.
"San?"
She walked further to the edge of the lake and once the tip of her shoes touched the edge of the water she turned around to face Ashitaka.
"The Deer God's wish..." She looked into Ashitaka's curious eyes. "In order to be together, it wants us to create... Life..."
Ashitaka's face turned the same crimson as the girl before him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, specially from the girl he loved.
"Y-You mean... Have a c-child?"
San's long hair followed the gentle breeze of the forest, some strands covered her face. Slowly, she started taking off her fur cape, then her robes until she was almost down to her underwear. But a worried Ashitaka disturbed her tease show.
"S-San, are you sure about this? I m-mean..." He grabbed her shoulders before she could continue her undressing. "H-have a c-child with me?"
The moonlight reflected into her deep brown eyes as she stared into his. "Yes... I want to be with you... and there wouldn't be anything better than to have the proof of our love..."
And he was convinced with her words. He saw the desire and wishing in her beautiful eyes. He saw how much she wanted to be with him and the desire to have his child.
"San..." He inched closer to her and helped her with the robes as well as he undid his.
She was the first to reveal her body. It was the most embarrassing thing she had ever done in front of a man. The only way to control it was to cover her breast and womanhood with her hands.
Ashitaka took in San's naked figure lit by the moon. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, with her creamy skin and formed waist. She wasn't the same girl he had saved the woods with anymore, she was a woman.
Something else he had noticed was her balanced breast, they looked like they could be soft and fun to touch.
Other thoughts slipped into his head and made the blood flow down to his crotch. The reaction was visible thru the last bit of clothing he wore, his pants.
"Ashitaka... Why is there a lump in your pants?" San asked, in the most innocent way possible.
He blushed as he noticed what she meant and didnt know what to say. But he did know what to do.
Suppressing his blushing face, he inched closer to San's body with his mind running wild with different thoughts.
"Why do you hide yourself, San?" he whispered, grabbing her arms and slowly pulling them away from her body.
"I-It's embarrassing!"
Ashitaka enjoyed the faces she would make while embarrassed. It was the cutest thing he had ever seen. And much to his pleasure, San removed her arms from censoring the sacred parts of her being.
He stared in awe, delighted by San's form. "You are... Beautiful, San..."
San faced another raging blush and turned around, walking towards the water and letting her body sink in it.
Ashitaka watched as San's body slowly was covered by the pool of water. It was the most mystical moment of his life, watching as his lover was graced by nature.
Then, a desire to join her filled his head. With a desperate need, his pants were off and thrown with the other robes to the side, leaving his erection to the open air.
He got in the water behind San and suddenly hugged her, her back against his chest.
"A-Ashitaka?"
"San, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me... I want to enjoy every bit of this night just with you..."
From the corner of her eye, San saw as Yakul left them alone and disappeared behind the tall trees. Leaving them at the grace of mother nature.
"Me too, Ashitaka..." She said, turning around and pressing her breast against his chest. "Let's make this night unforgettable..."
Their lips met again, this time with a slow pace of things, as they wanted to enjoy every bit of that night as possible.
While they enjoyed their moment, San undid the bun atop of his head, letting free his long brown hair. His arms came around her waist under the water pulled her even closer, pressing his cock on the top of her stomach.
Suddenly, San pulled away from the kiss, surprised by the warmth that had caressed her belly. "What is that?"
Ashitaka blushed deeply and pressed his forehead against hers. "It's what will connect me with you..."
San shared his same blush and wrapped her legs around his waist , unsure of what to do next.
She had never experienced this need that piled at her gut. A need that could only be satisfied by Ashitaka.
Ashitaka grabbed her by her ass to maintain a better balance in the water. She smiled against his lips and kissed him again, a little more passionately.
Gasping for air, she felt as his manhood caressed her own valley of pleasure and somehow she was desperate to be connected with him.
But before she could express her desire, Ashitaka slid a hand down her back and on to her region with the most delicate touch. He moved his fingers experimentally against her and watched as her body mimicked the deep pleasure she felt.
It was a feeling like she had never felt before. It was as if a current of ecstasy came from his fingers and thru her body. Awakening a much deeper desire that she had never thought possible.
"I... Want m-more..." San whispered in Ashitaka's ear. With her moans, he felt the granting of entering her being with a finger and making the hairs at the back of her neck stand up.
Her moans mimicked his hand movements and he felt satisfied to see her expressions. It was wonderful seeing the tough ruler in such a state of happiness and enjoyment.
She felt as if something urged her for release. But it was met short when Ashitaka pulled his finger out of her. San stared at him in plea.
"San... I can't hold it any longer... Your face makes me want to devour you whole..."
In Ashitaka's eyes was a lust that was never seen before. San enjoyed the sight very much and felt attracted to this man's animal instinct. "Go ahead... Devour me, Ashitaka..."
And so he did. Ashitaka bit her neck with a desperate desire. His hands roamed her back and grasped on sensitive areas of her body.
Then, before he knew it, his cock was slowly entering her being. Entangling them in a mix of love, happiness and slight pain. San had never experienced such an expansion in her body before.
She dug her nails on his back, as if it could relieve her of the slight pain she felt from him entering her body. For a moment, he stopped his movement and stared with worry at his beloved.
"San, are you o-ok?"
She looked directly into his eyes, a sheer gloss covering them. "I-It hurts..."
Not knowing what else to do, Ashitaka slowly took himself out of her and waited for her pain filled expression to pass.
"If it's too much we can stop here, San..."
"No."
Ashitaka stared into San's glistening eyes. "What...?"
"No. I want to do this... I want to fulfill the god's wish, our wish... I wanna be with you..."
He watched as another stream of tears came upon San's cheeks, following it with his finger. He never expected something like that. "San..."
As he stared in shock at his beloved, San took matters into her own hands and slowly pushed herself on him, battling the pain she felt as her insides took Ashitaka's shape.
He hugged her tightly against him as her walls tightened around him, making him feel inmense pleasure. "Sa-San!"
She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt as the pain started turning to a pleasure she hadn't felt ever. Slowly, in instinct, she moved her hips back and forth. San found that the movement could make the good feeling grow bigger.
Ashitaka joined in and moved himself against her. He had never felt anything like this before, considering it was his first time.
The pace picked up and the water around them splashed as they went faster and faster. The night was filled with their interwhined moans and heavy pants.
Love connecting with nature.
They changed positions. This time San lay on the edge of the small island and he was on top, going fast on her and muffling her moans with his mouth. For both, this new experience was just incredible.
San parted away from his kiss and rested her head on the ground under her. Her eyes were tightly closed and her mouth parted slightly, moaning to Ashitaka's rythm.
Ashitaka watched her beautiful expressions, which encouraged him to continue his movements and from time to time suckle slightly on her breast. He found that doing so, also made the experience for her slightly better.
Then, an urge of release came over both of them.
Ashitaka nuzzled his face on San's bare chest and groaned in delight as he let his seed inside her.
San grabbed on to his shoulders and felt as her insides were filled with a hot liquid. Then, she released as well. Showering his manhood with her own lubricant.
Both lay panting on the edge of the lake. Ashitaka rested his head on her chest, while San played with his hair.
"San... That was wonderful..." He panted, looking up at her glistening eyes.
San smiled and placed a hand on his cheek, lifting his face and pressing her lips against his.
Ashitaka lifted himself up from her and pulled her underneath him a little more, making it easier for their lips to connect.
The moonlight lit San's face in a graceful way and Ashitaka loved it.
"Ashitaka... Stay with me... Please..."
He smiled at her words and felt as his vision blurred. "I will San..."
San got her face close to his and whispered. "I love you..."
Ashitaka stared at her, bewildered by her words. A blush tinted his cheeks.
"I love you more, San..."
They shared another passionate kiss. Ashitaka graced her body with his hands but stopped at her stomach, placing a single hand in the middle. He hoped that the Deer God's wish would come true, as it had now become their own.
Many months later...
Ashitaka helped the men in the village as they built a new home for an elderly lady. With the help of the others, he pushed a wooden plank on to a gap of the now finished wall on the side of the new cottage.
The old lady watched as her new home was completed before her eyes. In delight she thanked the men with a feast done by her and some of her her family members.
They sat around a lit campfire enjoying the delicious food the lady had made them.
A man beside Ashitaka smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder."You are very strong Ashitaka. That is a virtue for a future father like you."
Ashitaka smiled and looked down. He thought of San and the life that grew inside her. "Thank you."
After that night on the lake, Ashitaka had decided to live with San in the forest, visiting the village once in a while or when help was needed.A few months later, San had found out that the God's wish had come true and shared the exciting news with her lover.
But with such a delight came a little bit of conflict. The wild San could no longer roam the forest while she was expecting a child. So, to her dismay, she decided to stay back in the little house they now lived in, deep in the woods.
It was the last month of San's pregnancy and Ashitaka had recommended for them to stay near Lady Eboshi's village, just in case their child arrived earlier than they thought. But San was a little reluctant to meet up with that woman again, even though Eboshi had accepted her into her village.
Ashitaka finished his meal and thanked the elder lady for such a wonderful treat. Then, he walked away from the crowded campfire and towards a green field that remained empty.
He looked up at the crescent moon in delight and thought of that night.
It had been wonderful and enchanting day. It was unforgettable.
Interrupting his trance, was the ruffles of footsteps that came behind him. Hurried footsteps.
"Ashitaka!" A man's voice called.
Ashitaka turned around and saw one of the villagers. The man was sweating, as if he had searched for Ashitaka for hours. "Hmm?"
The man panted and cleaned the sweat off his forehead. "Ashitaka… Princess Mononoke... Child..."
Ashitaka's eyes widened at his words and without thinking ran to the village. The man followed behind him with little energy left.
"Where is she?!" A million things went thru his mind. Did something bad happen? Was San ok? Was his child ok?
The man grabbed him by the shoulder and turned the paranoic prince around, panting. "Wait! She is ok! The woman are taking care of her! She is in Lady Eboshi's cottage!"
Without another question, Ashitaka ran faster to Eboshi's home.
In front of the cottage sat many women with buckets of water and sweaty faces. They all heard as hurried footsteps grew closer and turned to see a worried man searching for his love.
"Ashitaka! Finally you are here!" One of the women said.
"Where is San?!" he couldn't contain his desperate need to see her, to make sure she was ok.
"She is inside! Lady Eboshi and the others are taking care of the birth!"
Ashitaka ran thru the women in the front porch and entered the house. The women tried to prevent him from doing so, considering that Lady Eboshi didn't let just anyone go inside.
A few painful moans emerged from a few doors away. Ashitaka searched furiously for the source, sure that it was San who was making those noises.
Right when it felt like forever, he heard more painful moans emerge from behind a paper door. But when he was urging to open the door, a beautiful cry emerged from the room.
A baby's cry.
Ashitaka burst thru the door and saw as female gazes stared shockingly at his entrance. A few of the women tried to rush him out of the room but Lady Eboshi stopped them.
"Ashitaka… You arrived just in time." A large smile adorned lady Eboshi's face, as the crying continued.
He saw as the women's clothes were painted in a few spots of blood. It made him uneasy.
A silence filled the room, only small panting and the cry could be heard from in between the women.
But then.
"A-Ashitaka?"
He pushed the ladies to the side and stared in shock at the woman who lay between them.
San was covered in sweat, her face was adorned with tears and a joyful smile. In her arms, a small crying figure rested. The sound was like music to his ears.
Ashitaka kneeled beside San. Staring at her and the child that she carried. The child that was no longer in her womb. The child that was theirs.
Then his face matched San's as tears ran down his cheeks. He placed his hand over the child's small body and kissed San's forehead.
"Ashitaka… He looks like you." San spoke, between sniffs and smiles.
And she was right, the baby did have some facial features similar to his. What surprised him the most was how much the child's eyes resembled San's.
Ashitaka lay speechless beside her and watched as San placed their child in his arms.
He grabbed his son carefully, like if he could brake him by just a touch. San sat up weakly and rested her head on Ashitaka's shoulder, admiring their child as well.
Lady Eboshi and the women watched the scene unfold in front of them and could only smile in awe at how wonderful life could be.
Ashitaka looked at San and could only be as proud as he could. Then he leaned in on her and planted a kiss on her lips.
The Deer god's wish had been granted.
No.
Their wish had been granted.
And they couldn't be more happier than this.