A Princess Mononoke fan story
By Jikuuharuto
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this writing except for my idea.
Chapter One: Short-lived Happiness
Ashitaka decided to return to the forest for a while after helping to rebuild Iron Town for two months, during which he occasionally returned to the forest to visit San and think about what had happened before he began to help Eboshi rebuild Iron Town.
San... Just a little while more... he thought as he mounted Yakkul and waved to the people of Iron Town. The gate was open and he made sure he had all his items before he left.
"Take care, Ashitaka!" yelled Kouroku, whose arm and leg had healed, but which were still a bit stiff.
"Didn't he take any grain with him?" wondered Toki aloud.
"He can take care of himself. And I don't think that the wolf-girl would want anything belonging to us near him. Remember, despite the truce that Ashitaka forged for the two sides, she still despises humans," Eboshi said. "Besides, the forest is a source of food. He can find food for himself, if the wolf-girl doesn't."
Loyal Gonza scratched his bald head and shrugged, then followed Eboshi back into Iron Town.
"Are you sure about letting him go, My Lady? We might need an extra pair of hands around and who knows whether the forest creatures will break the truce?" asked Gonza, a worried expression on his face.
"Gonza, he's been away from his precious wolf-girl long enough. The whole town knows he loves her and nothing will stop him when he wants to visit her. Besides that, he's helped us rebuild and re-plan the entire place well. He deserves to get some rest. Rebuilding the town has definitely taken its toll on his health," Eboshi replied in her usual calm manner. Gonza nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what Eboshi had said. Despite being so loyal to Eboshi for reasons unknown, he had no special feelings for her or any other woman and thus would never understand love.
Yakkul trotted across the bridge towards the forest, but Ashitaka told him to stop.
"I'll wash myself before I visit San. She doesn't like the scent of humans, much less Iron Town," he explained as he removed his upper garments and placed them on his saddle with his weapons. Unbeknownst to him, San was watching from a tree branch, covered by the thick leaves but still could see Ashitaka through a small gap between them.
"What's he doing?"wondered San silently to herself. Her hand subconsciously made its way to the crystal dagger he gave her. She turned it left and right, almost playing with it as she watched Ashitaka clean himself. "Mother said he wanted to share his life with me... But I only replied that I hated him because I couldn't control my feelings then... Did I really hate him?"
Ashitaka waded out of the lake and saw Yakkul patiently grazing on the grass nearby. Faithful Yakkul; he could always be trusted not to run away just to play a prank. Ashitaka put on his clothes and mounted Yakkul, making his way to the Wolf Clan's den, admiring the scenery and watching the Kodomas on the way. So much had changed since he last entered the forest. There were far more trees and flowers around. The wildlife had since returned to the forest.
"Hmm... Maybe the Forest Spirit brought back not only the plants and trees but also the animals. Sometimes I'm simply in awe when I think of the Forest Spirit's power," he thought on the way. When the duo reached the den, there was no sign of San or the wolves outside. Worried, Ashitaka hurriedly dismounted Yakkul and sped into the den to see whether San and the wolves were inside. There was still no sign of San or the wolves inside. Ashitaka ran around in a frenzy, calling out for San.
"San!! Where are you?!" he shouted. Just as he was about to give up shouting himself hoarse, a white flash was seen and Ashitaka fell, the breath knocked out of his lungs. As he struggled to breathe, his eyes widened as he saw a dagger in front of his nose.
"Gotcha!" San said with a grin, the upper portion of her face hidden behind her mask. Ashitaka managed to heave a sigh of relief as San put the dagger away and he let his head fall backwards onto the soft grass. San was more able to control her feelings and her temper since the forest became full of life again. She still hated the humans for destroying the forest before, but her personality was no longer so rash and violent. She was more docile and playful than before, but still bore great hatred toward the humans. Ashitaka was the only one she could trust. San rose and rested her knees on the ground, her inner thighs in contact with Ashitaka's waist. She laughed, to which Ashitaka reacted by saying, "You had me so worried! Where were you?"
San continued her laughter until she managed to calm down, then pulled her mask up so that it was covering her forehead. She moved her head closer to his and said into his face, "I was waiting for you. I just thought I'd play with you and have a bit of fun! I had a hard time convincing my brothers to-"
"Play this silly and childish game," one of the wolves said. The two of them were so engrossed in each other that they hadn't noticed the two wolves lying prone on the rocks and looking at them. As Ashitaka turned to face the wolves, his nose brushed against San's. San's face began to turn red and she tried to hide it with her mask, but her brothers laughed, rolling on the rocks uncontrollably.
"What's so humorous?" asked Ashitaka, curious to know what the joke was about.
One of the wolves replied, interrupted by bursts of laughter, "Brushing noses... Haha! Is... Hah! One of our ways... Hahaha! Of showing affection! Hahahahaha!" He could no longer control his laughter and laughed and rolled so hard that he fell off the rock he was on and landed in the grass. Ashitaka began laughing as well, making San's face turn an even deeper red.
"Stop it!" she said with a small smile. She punched Ashitaka lightly and playfully in the rib. He responded by tickling San, who grabbed her sides as Ashitaka's fingers furiously worked their way through San's fingers to tickle her waist. San laughed so hard that she fell backward onto the grass, followed by Ashitaka, who let his right knee rest on the ground while his left foot was placed away from his knee, allowing himself to remain balanced and in a position to tickle San while her legs fidgeted and kicked wildly in the space between his knee and foot. San's mask was hurting her face due to her tossing and turning, so she moved it back up to her forehead. Ashitaka continued tickling her, but her leg kicked his knee and caused him to slip and fall on top of her.
He slammed both palms down on the ground and summoned the strength to keep himself from slamming into her face. He succeeded, but ended up in a most awkward position with his nose and lips touching hers. Their eyes widened. The two wolves had returned to their normal state and decided to leave the two alone.
"Take care of San... Or my fangs will find your head, human," cautioned one wolf.
"He will. As Mother said, he has long wanted to be San's mate. How could he bear to hurt our sister?" the other said.
"You never know what a human thinks, Takeshi. For all we know he could be part of some ploy by that Eboshi woman. I don't trust humans."
All this while, Yakkul was watching from behind a tree so as not to disturb the pair who were clearly enjoying themselves up until this display of dual affection. Ashitaka rose quickly, his face and San's both red.
"You know... It's a human way of showing affection to someone through contact of lips... We call that a kiss."
"A... kiss?" San asked, curious. Ashitaka nodded.
"It's when you feel great love for someone that you kiss the person. What do wolves do to show their love with actions?"
"As my brother said, one of the ways we show our feelings is by brushing our noses together. We also lick, but I don't do that with my brothers. Their fur sometimes gets caught on my tongue," San replied. She immediately realised that Ashitaka was different from her brothers and rose, letting him fall on the grass and licked his left cheek, to his surprise. He in turn pulled her close to him and gave her a kiss. It was meant to be short, but it dragged on for a bit. At first, San's eyes widened and she was apprehensive of it. It was a strange new feeling that felt uncomfortable at first, but she gave in and closed her eyes, accepting this new feeling. She could sense the love Ashitaka for her throughout the duration of the kiss. San suddenly got to her feet. Ashitaka's eyes shot open and he stood up.
"What's wrong, San?" he asked.
"I... It's a human behaviour... You're trying to make me more like a human, aren't you?!" San asked, suspicious. Ashitaka maintained his calmness and held her shoulders.
"No, San. I'm not trying to make you more like a human."
"Then why are you doing this?!" she demanded, suspicious. Ashitaka pulled her to his chest and held her tightly.
"I'm doing this because I love you, San. I would never do anything that would be bad for you. I'm not trying to change you into a human, because you're perfect as you are. Why would I change you if you were perfect to me in every way?" he replied. Sometimes, during his few visits, he had tried in vain to make San more like a human, but always ended up searching the entire forest for her and apologising. She had the body of a human but the soul of a wolf and that was one thing that made Ashitaka happy when he realised it. She had great courage and was never afraid to say what she wanted to say. San had no reason to doubt him. She knew that he wasn't lying. When he pulled her to his chest, she could hear his heartbeat. It was steady and consistent, meaning that Ashitaka wasn't nervous and lying. She knew his feelings were true and accepted them. Her arms found their way to Ashitaka's back. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Ashitaka's chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"I need a place to stay in the forest, San, and I want you to be with me. I don't know how I'd be staying here. Maybe I could just sleep under a tree," he said.
"Why don't you stay in the den?" she suggested.
"Your brothers would never approve of it," he replied.
"I'll convince them, somehow. They have to accept you," she answered.
"I don't know... I remember now! I built a residence from the extra materials I found in Iron Town. It's right outside the forest, overlooking the lake (Near where Ashitaka, the two injured men and Yakkul saw Iron Town). I think I'll stay there. It was supposed to be for me to relax after working, but I don't think you want to go near Iron Town, do you?"
San was hesitant at first. She dared not look into his eyes as she thought through it. She hated the sight and scent of Iron Town, because it reminded her of Eboshi and how Moro was shot. Eventually, she faced him again, her expression full of confidence.
"I'll go to your home... But I don't want those humans disturbing us," she replied. Ashitaka smiled.
"I don't want to make myself look selfish, San. I'm not forcing you to go," he said, implying a question about whether she was doing it because she wanted to.
"I'll go because I want to follow you. I don't want to lose you, Ashitaka!"
"What about your brothers?" he asked.
"I'll tell them."
Ashitaka licked her cheek, hugged her and looked for Yakkul. He waved to her and told her that he would meet her at the sacred pool and bring her to his home at sunrise.
At dawn, in the wolves' den, San was not having the best time.
"That human! He wants to take you away from us!" Takeru, the other wolf, growled, his face displaying great anger. "I will not allow it!"
"But Takeru! Their feelings are true for each other! You should not interfere! It is in her best interests that she goes!" Takeshi argued. Takeru growled.
"Even YOU, my brother, are helping that human?! I will not allow San to go! She stays in this den!"
San exploded with suppressed anger. "No! I won't stay! I love Ashitaka and nothing will stop me from being with him! I'm not afraid of showing how I feel! I'm going because I want to, not because he forced me to!"
"San... Takeru is only concerned about you," Takeshi said.
"My sister... San. Go... But if any harm comes to you, my sister... He will pay dearly for it."
San smiled and scratched her brothers' heads, then grabbed her spear, dagger and some food wrapped in leaves and prepared to meet Ashitaka.
Ashitaka was already waiting at the pool, standing next to Yakkul. He was thinking back to when Moro saved San from becoming a demon and when San stabbed him with the crystal dagger. He smiled and touched the area where the dagger had come into contact with him. He was lucky that the sleeves he wore had protected him, if not, the dagger could have caused a serious injury.
He heard the distant sound of quick footsteps and the crunching of a few dried, dead branches. He smiled and looked in the direction of the sound.
"Almost there..." San thought to herself. As she approached the sacred pool, she could make out the figure of Ashitaka standing next to a great elk. Her face lit up as she jumped into Ashitaka's arms, holding the spear aside to make sure she did not cut him. The speed at which San hit Ashitaka was great, and he fell to the ground, face to face with the only woman he loved. He held her tightly.
"Am I late?" she asked.
"No. The sun's not even up yet," replied Ashitaka. The two of them got up and mounted Yakkul, San in front of Ashitaka.
"Take your time, Yakkul. We're not in a hurry," Ashitaka instructed with a smile. San looked turned her head as far as it would go to look at Ashitaka, who responded by smiling and moving his arms around her body, right hand holding the left side of her waist and left hand holding the right, just like that night when he brought her out of Iron Town. He moved his face to her neck and simply took in her distinct scent. The hood-like portion of her fur cape was pulled back, so it was no obstruction. All the way to the hut, the two of them talked and laughed, also admiring the forest, which was becoming more visible with the sun's slow but sure ascent.
Ashitaka took in a deep breath of the fresh morning air. Never before had he breathed in such a clean breath of air in the stuffy Iron Town. It was a good thing that the residence did not have any opening directly facing Iron Town; he'd already considered the fact that San was not going to like the sight of it.
"What did your brothers say?" Ashitaka asked.
"Takeru wasn't happy about it, but my other brother and I managed to convince him that I didn't come with you because you made me."
"I see," Ashitaka replied, smiling. He put his head next to San's and brushed his cheek with hers.
"I love you, Ashitaka," she said, leaning back on him.
"And I, you, San."
He lovingly caressed her cheek and took a close look at the tattoos on her face.
"These marks on your face... They look like fangs," he said.
"My mother made the marks for me. They're permanent, so there's no getting rid of them."
"My love for you goes beyond appearances, San..." Ashitaka whispered into her ear.
San closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth that Ashitaka gave her. This was different from any other warmth she had ever felt from Moro, her fur cape, her brothers' fur or her bearskin blanket. She held the spear and placed it on her lap, both arms in front. She fell asleep, the cool morning air making her eyes tired. The cool air gave way to the heat as the sun slowly rose to the sky, beaming its light down upon the forest.
Yakkul stopped outside Ashitaka's residence. Ashitaka dismounted, still holding onto a sleeping San. His left arm held her legs up and his right supported her back, neck and shoulders. The spear she carried fell to the ground silently and Ashitaka entered his home. He placed her on the bed he had made with materials from Iron Town. He picked up the spear and placed it at one end of the rather large residence, then let Yakkul graze on the grass not far away. He sat on the available space on the bed, placing San's head on his lap. She was beautiful, especially when asleep. He caressed her skin with his left hand, then ran his fingers through her hair in a slow, controlled manner.
Her eyes snapped open and her muscles tensed, just like an animal would upon awakening. Seeing Ashitaka, she relaxed and lay on his lap, Ashitaka's hand stroking her hair.
"You haven't eaten, have you?" asked Ashitaka. San shook her head in reply.
"She definitely won't want food from Iron Town..." Ashitaka thought. San gazed into his eyes and as if she knew what he was thinking, she suggested hunting some of the wildlife for food. Ashitaka smiled and agreed. They both took their weapons and mounted Yakkul after carefully checking for defects.
"What do we hunt?" asked Ashitaka.
"Anything you want," she replied. Ashitaka decided on hunting for fish in the lake, which the Forest Spirit had miraculously cleaned of pollution and which was full of life again. The lake was nearby, but they brought Yakkul along anyway. They made their way to the lake and waded in, Yakkul grazing patiently, carrying Ashitaka's hood, which was on the saddle. Ashitaka watched as San used her spear to pin the fish to the bottom of the lake then pick them up, then he realised that he didn't have anything of the sort. San continued her attack on the fish and headed towards the bank, where the great red elk continued grazing. He looked at his hands and lunged toward a fish, grasping for it. He repeated the process several times, to which San laughed. Ashitaka was soaked completely from head to toe and still he caught nothing, whereas San was already on the bank eating her fish raw. Ashitaka laughed at himself and headed back to shore and lay on the ground, drenched in water from his head down, still laughing. He looked at San, whose mouth was dripping with the blood of the fish she was eating.
"What?" she asked.
"It's nothing. You don't cook your food before eating it, do you?"
"Cook?"
Ashitaka chuckled. "We use dry wood and light it, then we place our food over it to make the food safer and cleaner."
"Why don't you just eat the food? It takes less time and isn't that bad," San replied.
"I think I'm just too used to the way I was brought up. Nothing I ate was raw until you nursed me back to health that day," he said. He was tired and was trying to catch his breath. He relaxed and closed his eyes, breathing fast and deeply with his mouth open.
"Then let me give you a taste of raw food again," San teasingly said. Ashitaka was about to ask what she meant, but his mouth was suddenly filled with fish and his eyes shot open. He saw that San was using the same method of getting him to eat as the time when he was simply too exhausted to chew the food he was given. The food slid down his throat as he swallowed, but their lips remained connected for a while. San got up and continued eating her fish. Ashitaka smiled and wiped the blood off his lips and rose to a sitting position. He took one of the fish that San had caught and bit into it. This was the first time he had eaten raw fish and was surprised by the blood spilling onto the ground as he bit into the fish.
After eating, he and San washed their arms and faces of the blood of the fish.
"You wanna catch some more?" asked San, smiling.
"I can't catch fish with my hands, but I certainly can catch you!" came the reply from a grinning Ashitaka as he jumped toward San and brought her underwater with him. Bubbles bobbed to the surface as Ashitaka tickled San underwater. Eventually, Ashitaka couldn't hold his breath any longer and went to the surface to catch a deep breath of air. He looked around, but San was nowhere to be found.
"San? San! Where are you?!" he shouted. San burst from the water and dragged him down with her, face-to-face. Ashitaka held her right hand and their fingers intertwined. Their legs slowly kicked, propelling them toward the bank slowly. Ashitaka smiled and held her close with his right hand until they reached the bank. Ashitaka removed his shirt and twisted it to dry it as far as possible. San grabbed her spear and ran toward Yakkul, water dripping from her wet clothes.
A sudden explosion occurred, shaking the ground and causing Yakkul, Ashitaka and San to lose their balance and fall. A great plume of smoke billowed from Iron Town.
"I must go to Iron Town and check on them, San. I'm sorry, San, but I'll be back. I promise you," Ashitaka abruptly said as he mounted Yakkul, putting on his shirt. "I know you don't want to go near the humans there, but I don't want to leave you here, San."
"I can take care of myself! You can go help those damn humans!" San shouted angrily as Ashitaka rode away on Yakkul. She placed the spear on the ground in the residence, then removed her clothing and dried them like Ashitaka did. She sat on the bed as her wet clothes dried on a table.
Ashitaka could only watch as the desperate townspeople tried to put out the spreading fire, which was beginning to consume the building itself.
"What happened?" questioned Ashitaka.
"Apparently someone decided that we should stop our business here and tried to destroy the bellows. The only thing that could have possibly caused an explosion of this scale would be gunpowder, of which we have plenty. Only I, Gonza and the lepers know where the gunpowder is stored," Eboshi replied calmly. The desperate townspeople continued trying to put out the fires, forming human chains to pass buckets of water to and from the lake and the bellows.
"Unless... One of the lepers betrayed us. Jigo didn't die, am I correct?" continued Eboshi. Ashitaka nodded.
"What reason would the leper have to betray us?" asked Ashitaka.
"Jigo may have had a leper infiltrate my ranks and sabotage me. For precisely what reason is unclear, but it definitely has to do with money. Jigo cannot resist great offers of money and will do anything for it," Eboshi answered.
"Jigo... That bastard," Ashitaka said to himself.
"How's the wolf-girl?" Eboshi asked.
"She still hates you and your people," came the reply.
"As expected. We'll have the fire under control and we'll maintain the truce. The townspeople who go to the nearest town to buy food have occasionally seen Jigo's men loitering outside the forest. They may be watching you, Ashitaka. Be careful."
Ashitaka waved goodbye to the townspeople and rode back to his residence.
Meanwhile, San's clothes had already dried very much. She put them on and fondled the crystal dagger again. Her extra-sensitive ears picked up the sound of Yakkul's galloping and her face lit up. She headed outside to wait for Ashitaka. A dart flew from between a tree's leaves and hit San's neck. She removed it, but began feeling dizzy and eventually she collapsed, after which two monks wearing the usual combination of clothes Jigo did picked her up. They turned and ran as Ashitaka arrived. Jigo jumped down from a tree, to the surprise of Ashitaka.
"Well, well, well... Looks like our little Princess is going to bring me a fortune! Since I couldn't bring the head of the Forest Spirit to the Emperor, he's told me to bring the wolf-girl to him. The shoguns want her so that their sons can choose whether to marry her, and I'm gonna get a mountain of gold for it! Hahaha!" Jigo taunted in his usual tone. He smiled and ran away, chased by Ashitaka.
"Jigo!" Ashitaka yelled as he chased after Jigo through the forest, all the way to the farming town he passed on his way to Iron Town. There, he saw a samurai camp. The entire village had been torn down and bodies lay everywhere. San was tied to a stake and surrounded by Jigo's monks and the samurai of several shoguns.
Ashitaka dismounted Yakkul, bow in hand, quiver full of arrows strapped to his body and short sword on his left hip. San woke up and looked at Ashitaka. She called out to him, but was silenced by a piece of cloth. Ashitaka approached and readied an arrow. A samurai approached San, caressing her skin, causing her great discomfort.
"Touch her again and I will kill you!" Ashitaka shouted with a commanding voice, aiming his arrow at the samurai.
"And what if I do?" the samurai taunted, tearing off San's first layer of clothing. Ashitaka had had enough. With a yell of pure rage, he let his arrow fly at the samurai. The arrow ripped the samurai's head off his shoulders and pinned it to the ruins of a destroyed house.
"Anybody else want a turn?" Ashitaka angrily asked. The samurai stood up, their blades shining in the morning sun. Jigo's monks readied their darts and daggers to fight with Ashitaka. "I will not return to the forest without San."
"And I can't see the emperor without the wolf-girl," Jigo warned, smiling sinisterly. One of the samurai licked San's cheek in a perverse manner, causing her to cringe and get angry. She bit the samurai's nose, causing it to bleed severely. The samurai in turn slapped her face.
Enough was enough. Ashitaka let his second arrow fly and tear the second samurai's private organs apart. Around him, the wind began to blow. His hood, pulled back, flailed wildly as Ashitaka's right arm began emitting a bluish light. He grabbed his short sword and charged forward...
End Chapter One
Jikuuharuto: Hey people! Thanks SO MUCH for reading! I don't think I captured the personalities of San and Ashitaka, though. Please read and review honestly (and don't be too blunt, I'm just a teenager doing something he likes during his holidays! XD)! Positive and negative CONSTRUCTIVE comments are welcome! Without reviews I won't be able to improve on my writing! Thank you so much once again!
Teaser lines (not directly related) for next chapter, The Hunt Is On:
"Are you going to move or do you want me to kill you?"
"He... That monster... You don't want to be with me anymore..."