A
moment later, the door opened, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman standing
in the doorway. Her black hair was pulled up into a small bun, and her face was
painted, characteristically of most women, white, although not as much as was
standard.
"I-I, uh…" Yuugi fumbled for words, "I'm
here to see Lady Eboshi?"
The woman laughed and opened the door
fully. "I am she. You must be the leader of the caravan passing through the
valley, no?" she said, stepping aside, allowing him in.
"Actually I own it," Yuugi commented as
he entered the house. The outside may have been plain, but the inside was
something to see! Colorful assortments of plants were posted all over the room,
and the smell of fresh herbs permeated the room. Celebratory rifles were posted
all over the walls, but none of them appeared to have been used in a long time.
The furniture, he noticed, was also of good quality. "I was on my way up north.
I was wondering if I could have your permission, really, to stay in your town
for a while? That's why I came."
"Of course," Eboshi said, taking a seat.
This surprised Yuugi. Back at his hometown, it wasn't considered proper for a
woman to sit in a man's presence, but apparently, Iron Town was different. He
actually found it somewhat refreshing, and he took a bold step, himself, by
sitting down without being asked. "Understand that everyone is welcome here, it's
just that few people know about it."
"Very
true," Yuugi agreed. "But now that I have your permission, I was wondering if I
could ask a few questions pertaining to the city?"
Eboshi cocked her head, waiting for him
to continue.
"First of all, I thought that this was an
iron town. Where did all of the iron go?"
Eboshi hung her head in thought. It was
then that he noticed something very peculiar- her right arm was completely
gone- hewed at the shoulder. Curiosity peaked in his mind, and he had to force
himself not to comment or inquire about it. If she wanted to talk about it, she'd
do so in her own time.
"That's an awfully long and complicated
story, mind you," Eboshi said, glancing back up at him.
Yuugi smiled. "What perfect timing you
have! In my hometown, it is a tradition to sit with the family and discuss
current issues around this time."
"Your choice of words is very convincing,"
Eboshi said sarcastically. "Very well, then. Should I begin at the beginning?
Yes? Then make yourself comfortable, my friend. You've a long night ahead of
you."
Yuugi nodded, giving her his full
attention.
"You'll have to run faster than that!"
Ashitaka yelled after her as she jumped to the next rooftop. Following, he
leaped. He almost didn't understand why she allowed him to do these sorts of
things at all. If she wanted to, she could probably run circles around him
before he even had a chance to breathe.
"I have no intention of letting you beat
me, human!" San called back, glancing at him as she did so. Her blue eyes
burned with excitement- apparently he'd suggested doing something she,
personally, felt a little closer to home.
This inspired him to work his legs
faster; desperately trying to catch up with her- she was only a few feet ahead
of him. He may not be able to beat her, but he was going to show her what some
humans were capable of doing!
For a while, it seemed as though his
increased speed would work- in a moment, he'd worked his way up beside her. But
she only glanced menacingly at him and gave him a playful shove that sent him
stumbling onto his face. She didn't notice, but she'd actually almost shoved
him over the rooftop- which probably would've ended badly, but why bother her
with worrying matters? They were both enjoying themselves!
"Hey, that's not fair!" he play whined
after her as she jumped to the next roof.
She spun to a halt and scampered over to
the edge of the roof where it curved up slightly and perched herself on the
corner of it like a bird watching its prey. She waited there, patiently, for
him to stand up and get a running start before she began sprinting,
herself.
By now, they had almost completely gone
around the perimeter of the entire city. They had deemed the entrance to the
city the finishing line, and he could see it just a few rooftops away. He was
going to have to work even harder if he was going to catch up to her. Briefly,
he toyed with the idea of calling her, which in turn would make her stop (she
was so naïve in her simplicity and honesty- one of the things that made him
love her even more), but he didn't think that would go over well. She could be
nice when she wanted to, but when she got irritated…well, having two wolfs as
older siblings didn't exactly give the best impression of what ought to be done
in situations like that. Even now he carried a new bruise from the time a few
weeks ago when they were play wrestling in the fields. She, being her
capricious self, had bitten him on his arm while he was grabbing on to her. She
probably wouldn't have given it a second thought, but in truth, it had hurt a lot. It took all of his composure to
restrain a cry of pain. But it was her culture- what she had grown up with, and
he was willing to make sacrifices for her sake.
So he continued running, straining to the
best of his abilities to try and get as close to her as he could before the
race was over. Eventually, he ended up getting up to about where he was the
entire time, a few feet behind her, before she triumphantly yelped, barked, and
skipped around the rooftop where the finish line was.
Such behavior was hardly characteristic
of her, but she had actually lightened up a bit more since the last few times
he'd seen her (although he suspected that she had the ability to control these
outbursts of emotion, and that she did it only for his sake). The fact that
they were still so comfortable around each other at all was still a miracle.
Iron Town had, until recently, been under the final stages of reconstruction,
and during that time, they'd seen each other infrequently. He would try to go
and visit her (like he promised) whenever he could, but it was rare. He could,
by no means, stay in the forest, and likewise, it was out of the question for
her to stay in the city, so they had opted, instead, on just "keeping in touch",
as he liked to put it.
Now that Iron Town was, relatively, back
in one piece, however, they were hardly from each other's sides (although he
suspected that they spent more time in the city than she would've liked). It
was for this reason that he now had his own section of land just outside of
Iron Town where he had a small hut and could farm a small crop to sustain
himself. Many of the townspeople insisted that he take a share of their food,
instead, but he wouldn't hear of it. He was, by the nature of his tribe, a
farmer, and he preferred to live off the land whenever he could. It was not, by
any means, a large accommodation, but it was large enough so that they could
both stay comfortably within its walled boundaries without being nervous.
Whenever they were in small quarters together, they instantly became strangers,
and would hardly speak, much less look at one another. Out in the open was much
better, which was why he had even complied with her suggestion to build his own
place outside the town in the first place.
"Okay," Ashitaka wheezed, ambling up to
her, "you win."
"You make it sound like such an
accomplishment," San said sardonically, likewise trying to catch her breath. "But
I appreciate the recognition," she said, crouching down into a sitting position
on the roof.
"You shouldn't do that," Ashitaka said,
concerned. "It's not good to stop moving after you've been running for a while."
He tried to pull her up.
"Oh, please! I've practically been
running before I learned how to walk! Don't tell me that it's not good for me!"
San grinned.
"All right, then," Ashitaka said smugly,
sitting down next to her, "I will follow your example and sit."
But she immediately stood up again. "C'mon!"
she said, pulling his sleeve, "I want you to come see my surprise!"
Ashitaka pushed himself up and brushed
his pants off. He recalled that San mentioned that she had a surprise for him,
earlier this morning. After the race, he'd said, he would go and see it.
"All right, all right," Ashitaka said,
jumping down off the roof. "I need to stop off at my home for a few minutes and
get some things, okay?"
"Okay," San nodded. "I'll wait for you at
the edge of the forest!"
Ashitaka grinned, and walked towards the
gate. Rather than having to open up the monstrous walls for him, the guards had
come up with a much better idea of passing him a ladder to use to get down, and
then pull it back up after he was off.
His home was just over the hill, out of
sight of Iron Town. Now that it was no longer a mining colony, he could escape
to nature and be only a short distance away from the town at the same time.
He inspected his crops, briefly, before
he moved along to his hut. The hut did not have a door of any kind on it, save
for a thin mosquito net to keep the bugs out. He didn't have to worry about any
criminals way out here (and Yakuul would alert him if anyone was approaching),
and he knew that none of the townspeople would ever want to violate his
privacy. He didn't have to worry about San poking her head in at awkward times,
either. To her, it was his "cave", and that was something that a female wolf
did not invade without permission. In return, he respected her privacy by
waiting at the bottom of the hill next to her cave whenever he went to visit
her. The hut, itself, contained only a small shelf to hold trinkets or anything
else that needed storing, a small water basin, and a bed. He walked over to the
shelf and removed the little red pouch that he was fond of (and often seen)
carrying. That would make it all the less suspicious to be seen with it…San
wouldn't suspect a thing!
He circled around and left his little
area behind for the time being. Yakuul was just outside the wall, grazing in
the field.
"Yakuul," he called gently.
The beast lifted its head gracefully, and
upon recognizing its master, glided over to where he stood, grunting softly.
"Hello there, my friend," Ashitaka said,
patting its muzzle affectionately. "Are you read to go and see San today?"
Yakuul grunted, and lowered his antlers
to allow Ashitaka to pull himself up, and together they started at a brisk pace
to where the newly grown forest lay, which wasn't too far at all. He probably
could've walked, himself, but Yakuul got upset whenever he was left behind. In
a few minutes, they had arrived at the edge of the forest, but San was nowhere
to be seen.
"San," he said loudly, "are you there?"
Silence.
"Is she there, Yakuul? You've a better
sense of smell than I," Ashitaka asked.
Yakuul grunted, but otherwise gave no
indication that he even understood the request.
It was getting dark, and Ashitaka was
deciding whether or not it was safe to go into the forest alone at night. Most
of the animals that lived there now were, as had been predicted, dumb beasts
because of the death of the Forest Spirit. Whenever he was with San, he had
nothing to fear, because she still had her commanding aura over them. Alone,
however, was a different matter. But what if she was hurt and needed help?
That, alone, was answer enough for him.
He dismounted Yakuul and asked him to wait for a few moments while he scouted
ahead. No reason to put his friend in danger. He parted the think undergrowth
that barred his path, and made his way into the forest.
Yuugi sat there, stunned. Eboshi had
finished her long narrative, and had leaned back in her chair, sipping her tea.
What a powerful story! Had he not known that the Lady tended to be a woman of
truth, he never would have believed it. This place truly was as magical as all
the stories told!
"It is quite impressive, isn't it?"
Eboshi said, setting the cup down on the coaster next to her.
"Yes. My condolences about your arm," he
said, cautiously. He didn't want to offend her.
"Thank you," she smiled, "But I hold no
bitterness. My arm was well worth the price for a second chance. I miss it,
yes," she laughed, "but I find that I can still do many of the things I had
done before."
"Is that so? I'm surprised there was
still anything left of you at all, much less of this town, after the story you've
just told me!"
She looked at him seriously. "Yes, there
was a price to pay. There was foolishness on both sides, although I'm inclined
to believe that it was more or less instigated by me. But as you can see, we've
started over. True to my word, I have built a better town, and I intend to keep
it that way," she said, standing up. "Do you need a place to stay for the
night? There are many open houses that I'm sure we could make ready for you and
your men before too long."
Yuugi bowed. "Your hospitality is most
kind," he said. "I would be honored if it would be as you say."
Eboshi nodded. "Follow me, then."
She opened the door for herself and
walked out into the night air. The city was still as busy as ever, though. In a
short while, and after some inquiring, she managed to learn the location of
Gonza, of whom she had confided to Yuugi, her "right hand man".
"Yes, milady?" Gonza said as they both
approached.
"Gonza, I would like you to take whatever
men you can spare and make suitable lodgings for Yuugi and his men. They will
be our guests for the night. Afterwards, you should go home, yourself, and get
some rest."
"Thank
you, milady," Gonza said. "I will do as you say, but I require no rest just
yet." He indicated proudly upward. "You see the tower is almost finished. I
would like to get that behind me tonight, if at all possible."
Eboshi looked at the looming tower above
her, examining it. "Very nice work, Gonza," she said after a while. "What will
you use it for?"
Gonza shrugged. "Mainly for lookouts or
for weather readings. Whatever comes in handy, I suppose."
Eboshi raised an eyebrow. "Such a large
amount of work for so much uncertainty. Why did you put so much effort into
making it, if I may ask?"
"Milady," he answered, "I am a bodyguard
and a soldier. When there is no more guarding or fighting left to be done, I
find that I quickly become…bored. And since there is nothing to fight, I find
that I must occupy my time in some other manner. Working on Iron Town seemed
the next best thing. Better than farming, at any rate," he added curtly.
Eboshi laughed- the sound almost jerked
Yuugi out of his shoes. Unlike the woman it came from, the laugh was powerful,
loud, and generally unpleasant to hear.
"Then continue on, my friend," she said
after a moment. "Feel free to look around the town, Yuugi," she said as she
walked by. "I'm sure you will find it quite different from what you're used to."
"How is that?" Yuugi asked.
Eboshi pointed to a couple walking down
the street. The woman walked on ahead, while the man held in his arms an
assortment of fruits and rice bags. She was constantly flapping her mouth,
while the man fitted in a "yes, dear", or "of course, dear", whenever she
stopped to take a breath.
Yuugi stared at them. The woman was
walking in front? And she wasn't carrying anything! She treated the man like an
inferior! He turned to ask Lady Eboshi, but she had vanished into the crowd. He
stood there, scratching his head. Yes, he would definitely want to take a look
around this town.
