Snippet three- Last chance
Snippet three- Last chance

"…" Speech

'…' Thoughts

flashback

It was late and the moon made a pale yellow glow over the lake that Ashitaka stared at. 'How long have I been chasing her? And I still can't find her! What's wrong with her? She can't get so upset over one little argument! We had more before!'

Sighing, Ashitaka skipped a rock and said, " I might as well give up…" Thinking how late it was, Ashitaka sauntered back to iron town feeling worse than that morning.

He finally fell asleep when he was awoken by a woman's shriek outside his hut. He grabbed his sword prepared to battle when Taka yelled, "Enough!"

"Up now Ashitaka?" Taka said wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Why is everyone up so early today?"

"You forgot? We're doing to the forest again, to find the men again…Sigh…less sleep for me."

Ashitaka chuckled, "Nani? Thinking about sleep? You would have got more if you didn't follow me into the forest."

"What did you do in the forest Taka?" shouted out Min. " A little something going on between you and…?" Min winked his eye and rubbed his arm suggestively against Taka when he punched him.

"Baka."

" Ouch man…!"

"So what did happen?" said another worker.

Taka replied, " I followed Ashitaka. What do you think he was doing?"

Min shouted out, " AASSHITAKKAA!! Hmm…where is he? Oh well." In a sly voice, Min began "So Taka…" He blinked his eye in an evocative matter and began some body language when he noticed that Taka was on the edge of giving him a severe beating.

"Don't feel the same way huh?" shouted Min as Taka stormed off.

+ + +

San walked past the ring of trees for the 6th time that morning. She was bored. Her brothers were gone hunting for food, And Moro…

'If only she was still here…Stupid Iron Town people! Another reason I'm not forgiving them!'

'So Bored, if only Ashitaka…'

'NO! Don't think about him! We're mad at each other! He hates me! He hates me!' But a little voice in her head kept reminding of her of the feelings she had yesterday night. She felt happy, everything felt so right…

Scoffing, " he's probably faking. God only knows what he does in iron Town with them."

San continued walking and found herself in front of Iron Town.

+ + +

Ashitaka walked into the forest trying to find San. He needed to talk to her. ' I hope she would listen first!' " Where is she? *Sigh* no way can she hide from me that well!!!" He began walking around the forest again trying to find a glimpse of San.

"Would you believe it? I end up back at iron Town…"San muttered. She stood there for quite a while thinking, not noticing Taka shouting some orders to the men. Before San knew what had happened, Taka's men ambushed her. They started hitting her everywhere possible. San sneered, attacked, tried to get up, to defend herself but they were strong and their strategy was well planned out so San had no way of getting up. All she was heard was their threats …

"This is for destroying Iron Town!!"

"You Bytch! You injured my family before and I'll never forgive…"

"You'll pay for this!!"

"By Order of Ashitaka!!"

San heard all the men talking at once but there was no mistaking what she just heard. 'By the Order of Ashitaka? No…he wouldn't…'

San's anger heightened and she tried her best to throw off the men. She succeeded for a little while until one of the men cried for help.

"Taka! More men!"

'Taka! That name! Where have I head it before?'

The men didn't even have a chance to survive as one of her brothers came and brutally killed the men attacking San. San took the chance to escape back to the safety of the woods, as the wolves were still destructive among the men and the town.

Safe for now, the three journeyed to a deep part of the forest hidden among the mountains and trees where guaranteed no one would be able to find them. 'Not even Ashitaka…' and she collapsed to a deep sleep.

+ + +

It was late afternoon when Ashitaka arrived the entrance of Iron Town. Things were oddly off. People were running around, including the women who were usually busy storing energy for the men to use. The semi- injured were off to one side tending minor wounds. Ashitaka looked for Lady Eboshi and found her with Taka.

"Where the hell were you Taka? Eboshi was mad and by the sound of her voice, Taka thought that he would be banned from iron Town.

"Lady Eboshi, it wasn't my fault…"

"Not you fault? You were supposed to be in the forest like all these other workers here and where were you? HERE! Don't give me some lame excuse! We needed the men out there!! God Taka…"

In a rush, Taka began his story. "Lady Eboshi, it wasn't my fault!!! Princess Mononoke was here and she attacked!! The men are badly injured we had to treat them so they will be okay. There was no way we could've made it to both the forest and here…Eboshi? LADY EBOSHI? Are you listening?"

Eboshi was deep in thought. 'San attacked? After this time?' Eboshi had a growing concern for the safety of Iron Town and after while, she made up her final decision.

"From now on, San is a threat to this town. See her and attack."

"Eboshi! Are you crazy? She didn't attack! I know she didn't!"

Ashitaka stepped from behind the hut. He looked shaken. Proof, that he heard every single word.

"Ashitaka! Look at the men! Taka, go and help them with their wounds!" Taka scurried off.

" How can you say that she didn't attack? They saw wolves here Ashitaka! If they were here, so was she!"

"But you don't know that! I know she wouldn't attack…"

"She did! She made a lot of damage and I can't afford to lose any more men, injured or not! Look, I see your reason for wanting to defend her but do you remember all your fights with her? Maybe she was using you to gain some trust…look, I don't know her reasons but I have to protect Iron Town."

Now, more than ever, Ashitaka had to talk to San. He gathered a few of his belongings prepared to spend his time in the forest for a couple of days. He took Yakkul and headed off.

+ + +

"Taka!" Min and the others shouted his name eagerly to know how things went with Eboshi.

Taka walked in grimly but then grinned, and started to laugh hysterically. " All thing's well" said a worker.

"Yea! But did you see our injuries? Ouch man."

"Hurting ourselves to make our wounds look worse…I would never have thought of it!"

Taka replied, " Not my fault. The Princess Mononoke..." He said every word of her title as an insult

"…Couldn't hurt us enough. Anyway the plan is working out fine. More than fine!"

"Eboshi isn't going to find out, is she?"

"Her? No way! She hates San more than us! I know it. She just won't admit!"

"Admit what?" Toki came in with drinks for the men.

"Nothing sweetness…"slurred a man who was intoxicated already. " Hey…why don't you come back my hut later huh Babe?" He extended his hand to slap her buttocks. "Then we can get something going-

He collapsed midway and Toki was glad for an excuse to get away and to avoid being slapped in the ass.

The San/princess Mononoke haters sat around the fire laughing hard discussing their plans and Ashitaka's reaction.

" You should have seen his face!" Taka mimicked Ashitaka's reaction. He out on a weepy, desperate face…" b-but Eboshi I, I k-know sh-she di-didn't do that!" Laughing and drinking more and more sake, one by one they collapsed into a drunken state.

"Oh my god!" Toki put her hand behind her mouth to hide the shock. She didn't want to wake up the drunken men. She tiptoed away to Eboshi's hut to talk bumping into someone.

'No…please don't let it be Taka's men…'

"Toki?"

"Ashitaka!!" she yelled relived.

In a whisper, she began," Where are you going? I have something important to tell you!"

"Toki…can it wait?" Ashitaka looked very impatient. I have to find San now."

"NO! I'll walk you out and you have to listen to everything I have to say." Toki and Ashitaka began to talk while walking toward the forest.

+ + +

"San…we arrived" growled San's brothers.

San moaned and groggily waked up. She climbed down their back almost falling over because of her injuries.

"Will you be okay?" her brothers asked.

"It'll heal" and San limped toward the end of the cave catching more rest.

The wolves departed, one wandering in the forest and the other sat at the cave opening guarding against any intruders.

+ + +

Ashitaka was speechless. " Are you sure about what you've heard Toki?"

She nodded. " Positive. We…"

"We have to tell Eboshi!"

"Keep your voice down! I know we should tell her but she isn't going to listen. Me and you both know first hand that she doesn't like San that much and she only put up with her for you. And besides, Taka is one of her best men!"

"Then I'll go then…I'll tell her…"

"She's not going to listen either. She's going to think you are lying for defending her. Face it, she won't believe us."

"Then I have to find San. Taka is probably preparing something and I know that San must be hurt. Toki go back and act as everything's normal. I'm going to find San. "

"But Eboshi…"

"Expects this. Ja Toki!"

Toki looked at the disappearing figure and headed back to her hut to clean up when a figure knocked her to the ground.

+ + +

San woke up feeling a little better. Her injuries hurt less and she wobbled out to find her brother chewing the remains of an animal. She sat down next to him for a while before any spoke.

Half eating, her brother said, " You want to talk about it?"

Angrily, San shouted" Ashitaka did this to me! I hate him!! I hate him! I'm going to make him pay for what he did to me!" San stormed back to the cave.

Her brother snorted," I told you never to trust humans."

+ + +

"Noo!! Let me go! Someone please!! Help me!!!!!!!" Toki stopped squirming. Her attacker was sitting next to her. Toki was scared, and she whimpered out, "What d-do you w-want?"

Her attacker turned toward the forest and then to the hut. The wolf was trying to signal her about something. 'Wolves…that must mean San. If he wants me to go into the forest, San must be in trouble! She's probably still hurt!' Toki turned and feeling more brave, said," I'll be back in a few. I have to get some belongings."

In a couple of minutes, Toki was on the wolf's back after a little coaxing and persuasion. She arrived in a deep part of the forest she never been before. The wolf stopped in a cave and Toki got off.

"San?" she called out.

A moan was heard and Toki ran in. San was almost fainting in pain. When San saw Toki, she sneered and tried to pull always her arm when Toki took it but the pain was unbearable. Silently, Toki treated her wounds, and San fell to a deep rest.

When San woke up, Toki was silently staring at her. " What do you want?"

"Nothing, I'm just treating your wounds. Your brother brought me here."

"Hmm"

"If you're feeling better, I think you should go out." Said Toki as she saw San rising. " Ashitaka came looking for…"

" I DON'T CARE ABOUT HIM! HE CAN LIVE OR DIE AND I WOULDN'T CARE! I DON'T CARE!"

"But San, you don't understand…" Toki explained everything and in the end..

"Stop faking a story Toki!!! He ordered them to do it!! I know he did!! And like I said, he can die here for all I care because he is never going to find me!! Never."

" But San…"

"I SAID SO! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE! Go back to Iron town!!"

Toki turned, gathered her things, and left back to Iron Town.

Author's note whoa, that seems like a long chapter! Again, comments are appreciated! Sorry this chapter took a while to come. My computer is being used by a lot of people and don't forget HW!