Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke. I am just a humble fanfic writer, like I'm sure many of you are. However, I DO have rights to all new characters contained within, especially Barimitsu, Daruga, and Tirinia. If, for some strange reason, you want to use any of my characters in a fic of your own, please ask first. If you want to MST this fic…ask too. I'll cry, but I'll probably give permission.

Author's Notes: Here we go folks, journey to the world of Princess Mononoke. For some reason, I couldn't remember the names of the wolves (and neither could anyone I know), so I had to take the liberty of naming them myself. Hopefully you'll see the irony in their names, but if you don't…I'll drop it on your head in next chapter's AN. Ahem. Anyway, this follows up on just HOW the epilogue relates to the body of the fic, how San and Ashitaka have been doing, and the circumstances of one of the new characters. Chapters 2 and 3 should detail what happens to the other two, along with other interludes of reality, such as more S/A. I'm slowly increasing San and Ashitaka's portions in the chapters back up to parity with everything else.

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Normal font – Description.

Italic font – Character thoughts.

~~~ - Scene and/or perspective change.

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In the middle of a wide, open space, two lupine forms glanced about.

"Are you sure these are the ones we were told to retrieve?"

"Brother, the signs told to us by the Great Forest Spirit were very clear."

"These three just seem so…tame. So…human."

"In this age, humans have dominated the world. Animal spirits no longer possess the majesty they once did. They can no longer help us."

"Impossible!"

"There are no more animal Gods, only unintelligent…beasts."

"Then, explain the signs to me again, and why they're supposed to point to these three?"

"Their spirits are willing, they are idle, and, most importantly, they pulse in the rhythm told to us."

As if in response, all three spirits glowed brighter.

"But brother, some of these others spirits are just DYING to come with us!"

The other groaned and shook his head. "Leave them be. They've earned their rest."

"Heh heh, fine."

"It's time to go. Now remember, we must take them many years before Ashitaka came to the forest, so that these three may be ready in time."

"But if we take them back too far, they'll be ready too early and become lost in another struggle."

"Right, you remember the stipulation placed on these three's existence in our time…"

"And that would be such a shame if that happened too early…we might not even get to eat them…I mean greet them."

The elder sighed and padded away, followed by his brother. "Let's go back now, nothing's left for us here."

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Two figures have been sitting on a ledge outside of a cave, their legs dangling off. They've been making small talk to pass the time.

"Loki and Surtur have been asleep for a long time."

"Ah, let them. That last patrol we took was through the whole forest, and we didn't find any remaining humans."

"You know they'll be back. There'll be more, lots more."

Ashitaka sighed. "I know, I know. Sometimes humans don't respect the property of others. They just look to take and take, not to give back, to co-exist."

"And yet you still live with them sometimes. I just don't understand it."

"We already discussed this, San. I'm still a human, even though I'm tied strongly with the forest now. I need to spend time with other humans every so often."

San glanced downward. "It's sometimes just so lonely here, without someone else to really talk to."

Ashitaka put an arm around her and pulled her close. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a week, alright?"

San looked away. "Alright."

San sighed as Ashitaka jumped lightly down from the cave and headed to where Yakul was waiting. He waved at her before trotting out of the forest. Humans…

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A young man rose out of bed, blinking sleep from his brown eyes. His jet-black hair hung down in strands and spikes. He didn't have a particularly impressive build, but that belied the speed and technique contained within him. Standing up, he was about 5'8 ½", his tan skin glistening with the sweat of a nightmare.

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I woke up and began preparations for the long days ahead.  I tried to put the dream out of my mind. Now wasn't the time for an idle thought like that. One last time, I meandered around the room, taking in its sights, its smells, and its feel. The mat-bed where I've spent the last nineteen years. The training dummy which I had practiced with. A small weapons rack where I stored some of the most important possessions I had…

I was the youngest son, so I was given the least of everything. The least attention, the least schooling, the least training. I was thought to be not as much use to my parents, so why waste resources on me? Well, I'd be out of their hair soon enough. Thankfully, Father didn't bar me from leaving. The conversation had been a trying one, though.

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I stepped into his study. "Father, if you can spare a moment, I need to speak to you."

My father was a lesser noble, in charge of a moderately sized village. His hair was almost gone, save for a shock of gray at the top of his head, his face was scarred and mottled, his muscles were slack with age, but his eyes still shone with the fierceness of youth. Sitting here now, he was clad in a simple azure robe, designed for comfort while allowing many pockets and other compartments to store various documents, utensils, and whatever else was needed.

Typically, his job wouldn't be that hard, except for the fact that he honestly cared about the village's welfare. Much more so about them than about me. As such, he was always reading reports about every little thing, from crop production to civil defense. He was inundated with papers and couldn't even spare more than a glance up at me. But of course he'd drop everything for one of my brothers.

"Yes, son?"

"I've been thinking, Father."

"And? I'm very busy, you know."

Oh, of course. Busy, busy, busy. Might as well start… "Well, I've got a little story to tell that would help me out. Would you mind if I told it?"

"Fine, fine."

"There is a family of three brothers. The eldest brother is an intelligent scholar, beloved by the people. It's widely believed that he will succeed his father."

My father raised an eyebrow.

"The middle brother has been sent to the temple. It's been heard that he possesses great wisdom and kindness. It's also thought that he will rise far and be a great pillar of strength for the people."

My father now stopped to look up. He could see where this was going.

"But, what of the youngest brother? He is not particularly wise or pious. He has neither the ambition nor desire to rule. He does not have a calling with the temples."

"Now, son, is something the matter?"

"What was left to him? The only avenue open was the one that he excelled in, the one that his brothers disdained."

My father put down the papers he was holding.

"Yes, Father, he turned his attention to the martial arts. He began excel in his unarmed training, as well as with several weapons."

"Baramitsu, is something the matter?"

"Maybe in the future. This youngest brother, having learned all that he can from the local fighters, began training himself. However, he reached an important conclusion early. Without proper competition, his skills would stagnate."

"You can't mean…"

"It is unknown how his story ends. But, I'm sure you see the obvious correlation."

"I see what you want to do. But why? That surely can't be the only reason."

"Father, I need to leave. You know it, I know it. There's nothing for me here. Kyo has the village to run, I can't play lapdog to him. Shingo will not be around much. I need to seek my fate elsewhere."

"I…see. Is this what you truly want?"

"Yes, Father."

"Then you may go. But, please, take care of yourself. And if you need something, don't forget to come back."

"Thank you, Father." I bowed and exited the room. If I had been more useful to you, you wouldn't have let me leave so easily…

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After dressing in a simple, fitting, traveling outfit, I grabbed my pack and checked my supplies. Everything I needed was there, several changes of clothes, rations, paper, ink, along with many other things. Moving to the rack, I picked off the three weapons that I was most comfortable with, anything else would slow me down. The wakizashi I strapped to my right side, the daito strapped vertically on my left side. My composite bow lay across my back, along with a quiver of arrows. It was time to leave. I strapped on my trademark crimson cloak, then made my way through our modest home towards the exit.

"Brother, do you intend to leave?"

I looked left and saw my elder brother leaning against a post. His black hair was combed and prepared immaculately. He always seemed to have a pensive expression, hidden thoughts visible through his gray eyes. Currently, he was wearing a white sparring robe. He looked like he had just come from the family's dojo. Even the future head of a village must know how to defend himself, after all. He had access to an entire room, but what did I get? A cramped, dank hellhole to live and train in.

"Kyo, don't try to stop me. There's nothing here for me anymore."

He just shook his head. "Will you keep in touch, at least?"

"I…don't know. I'll have to see."

"At least tell me where you're headed."

"You better not send someone to follow me."

He smiled briefly. "Don't be so paranoid. I'm just concerned for you."

"Yeah, right. I was thinking of heading to the West. We've heard rumors about a large battle that happened there recently, and I think I might see what I can there, first."

He touched my shoulder. "Stay safe, alright?"

I scoffed. "Whatever, don't worry about me too much."

With that I set off on a trail out of our village. It led to the west, towards a great battlefield. Towards the great forests…

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AN: I hope that this chapter was more interesting than the intro, well, we'll see.

Yay! I got my first review! Keep 'em coming, please. ;)

Review on FF.net or e-mail me at Lord1Sephiroth@AOL.com