No excuses for the amount of time this took to post. I did lose my password and couldn't get onto my account for awhile. I also lost internet access for awhile. And I was also working on a different story for awhile. Anyways at long last the seventh chapter is up. It's kinda short, but I figure this is better than nothing.
Ashitaka blinked not sure if he heard her right. "What did you say?"
"You were poisoned" San repeated wondering if any damage had been done to his head since he normally had extremely good hearing.
Ashitaka didn't like the look on San's face when she had told him. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know anything else, but decided that the more information he had the better off he would be. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for whatever card fate had dealt him this time.
"Do we know what kind of poison it was?"
"Yeah," San responded. She looked deflated and scared. Ashitaka wanted to chase away what was scaring her, but knew that this time it wasn't possible.
"What kind is it?" He asked when she didn't continue.
"Agrinon" She said in a quiet enough voice he had almost missed it.
"What?"
"Did you injure your head or ears or something?" She asked a little annoyed, but extremely worried.
"Not that I know of, it's just hard to believe that I'm hearing you correctly. Poison isn't an enemy that one can defeat by oneself. Also the plant that comes from this particular kind is only found in the region where I grew up. I'm just surprised." In a quieter voice he continued almost to himself "Not to mention, that even if I could go back there, there's no way to know if I would make it back in time."
San didn't say anything to him as she watched the argument raging inside of him. She had wanted to argue with him, but Eboshi's words echoed in her mind. No one could know where they were going. She decided that it would be easier to talk to him once they had started their journey. They were going to go to his village and get the antidote for him. Even if he had been banished, she would find some way to get him the help he needed. He hadn't given up on her and had saved her life in more ways than one. She wasn't going to repay him by letting him die. From what Yakuul had told her, she figured he had three weeks to get the antidote in him. After that nothing would be able to save him. She hoped that with Yakuul's help they would be able to get him there in time. Not only did they have a time constraint, but she also had to keep him safe from the other threat. This enemy had no known name and no known purpose. She could only guess that whoever it was, wanted him dead or weak enough to capture.
"Do you want anything to drink or eat?" She asked realizing that he probably hadn't eaten all day.
"What?...Food and water would be nice. Thank you." Ashitaka responded startled from his musings.
"I'll be right back" San said getting up in search of food and water.
Yakuul took San's place lying down next to Ashitaka.
"Yakuul, we can't go back there. To them I am already dead. It doesn't matter that I will die by the poison instead of the curse. Going back there will do more harm than good. I know all of this, but I still felt happy thinking I had a reason to go back and I could see everyone, especially Kaya. She would have had her becoming a woman ceremony by now. I am selfish for thinking these things. It would destroy what I was raised to protect. Under no circumstances can we go back." He said. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself. Yakuul stared back at him blankly and a feeling of dread and longing filled him. Ashitaka shook the feeling away and looked around till he spotted San. She was on her way over carrying a tray with food and water for the both of them.
"Other than the poison, how bad is the sword wound?" Ashitaka asked taking the plate San offered him.
"You lost a lot of blood, but none of your vital organs were hit. A week or two of rest and you should be as good as new. At least that's what the healers are saying" San replied digging in to the food she brought for herself.
"San, could you do me a favor?" Ashitaka asked still just looking at his food.
"Sure, what is it?" She asked, curious. Ashitaka never asked for anything. She didn't think she had to worry about what the request would be.
"Could you take me away from here, to some place that's secluded where no one would disturb me?"
"What?! You want me to take you away from the people who are taking care of you? You think I would bring you somewhere to lie down and die without trying to save you? What do you think of me?" San said jumping up and looking down at him. He had been looking down at his food, but at her outburst looked up and saw the hurt his words had caused.
"San-" Ashitaka started to say
"I don't want to hear it. You sit here and welcome your death. I'm not going to sit around and wait for death to take someone else from me." San said before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth and ran out of the cave. One of the wolves got up from the cave entrance and followed her into the forest. The other one came into the cave to hear from Ashitaka what had happened.
Kitha had come into the cave ready to figuratively bite Ahsitaka's head off. Instead he found the human boy in a state much like the one Morro had when she had been waiting for the bullet's poison to kill her. It was a sight he realized he had never wanted to see again on someone close to his pack. All of his initial fury forgotten, he sat down.
"Why is it that no one fights to save themselves when it comes to a disease, but when it's a physical enemy they fight until they've exceeded their body's physical limits?"
"Probably because an enemy one sees shows weakness more than an enemy one cannot." Ashitaka responded not expecting to have this kind of conversation with Kitha especially after having chased San away.
"I'm not letting you die so easily human. Even if you are not a part of our clan, San has claimed you as hers. I will not let her get hurt like she did when our mother died again." Kitha said lying down "Climb on my back if you can. I want to show you something."
A little surprised and extremely curious, Ashitaka hoisted himself onto Kitha's back. The wolf gave a nod to Yakuul and then he left the cave running into the forest.
Yakuul went to the back of the cave picked up a package and left through the back of the cave by a route that no one would be able to follow. He had a good idea of where the wolf was going to bring Ashitaka. He decided caution was more important than speed. He had felt the sense of secrecy in the air and knew that something was up. He didn't understand all of it exactly, but he knew that it had to do with keeping Ashitaka safe. He made sure to stay hidden and kept to terrain that wouldn't leave any footprints. The sun was low in the sky by the time he made it to the meeting place, but he wasn't worried. He had faith in these strange new companions. He knew they could face the obstacles that lay ahead.
That's the end of this chapter. I tried not to leave it on a bad cliffhanger this time.
