A/N I have to ask all of my faithful readers- will you try to think up a name for this fic? I need a new one that will be better and will match the story so if any of you give me one that I like enough to use (I know this isn't much tho) I will obviously use it and you will be recognized in the next chapter and on my site (look at my URL thingymajigger)

Chapter 6
Journeys to the Emishi village

(early that morning...)

"Come on Yakkul, we're going home," Ashitaka said to the red elk as he led him from the stables.

Ever since Ashitaka had the dream about Kaiya, he was determined to go back, and now was sure that he had to go.

What had really pushed him forward was a constant nagging of danger in the back of his mind, seeming to tell him that he absolutely had to go back.

He came up to the gate and the one of the guards sarcastically said, "are you here to open the gate with one hand again? I'd love to marvel at that one once more."

"Lady Eboshi has commanded you let me out. I don't want to cause trouble, but I'm in a hurry."

Ashitaka's reply took the snicker off the arrogant guard's face as he called over a few of the men walking down the dusty street to open the gate.

"Isn't it a bit early to open it?" one of the men protested, "There's no reason since nobody's up!"

"Yeah!" another chimed in, "Why can't you open it yourself?"

The guard squinted his eyes, "Lady Eboshi's orders! Get moving or I'll report you!"

With their respect and slight fear of the Mistress of Tatara Ba, they immediately went to work with the door, which, after about ten minutes, they had open.

"That will be fine," one of the guards informed the men who went away quickly as soon as they finished their job.

Ashitaka bowed to the guards, and before he got on him, Yakkul.

"Come on boy," he said as he nudged Yakkul to go, "Let's go home."

The way was long, and Ashitaka longed for the comfort of another human being to talk to, but as always, every time he thought maybe he wasn't alone, all that was there was Yakkul, wuffing and carrying on a quick, steady pace.

The next morning, as Ashitaka began to feel the familiar surroundings of home, something wasn't right.

He passed an abandoned watchtower and wondered nervously why it was empty; someone always watched over their precious village.

Soon after he came to the wreckage of the gateway to the town, and found it in shambles, and as was the town. Burned down and chopped up huts were in place of most of the old beautiful ones, and blood stained the ground.

Ashitaka jumped off of Yakkul and ran into the town; his mind coming to but one conclusion;

The Emishi had been defeated. He was the last one alive.

*********

As she had been informed, San left to find Ashitaka, riding through the forest on her brother's back early the next morning.

"Eboshi said that he told her he was going home, and that he headed west yesterday," San told the white wolf, "Do you think you could find him with only that?"

He snorted (if you would call it that) and answered, "San, you've known me all your life. You know that I could find him even if he had left a week ago and I was without Eboshi's directions."

San made a small smile before pulling her mask over her eyes.

**********

Ashitaka ran from house to house looking for anyone alive in the charred ruins, but before he could get far, men, young and old ran out as if they were mad from a few of the houses that were still standing that Ashitaka hadn't looked yet.

Ashitaka was momentarily shocked, but relaxed immediately. Even though they positioned themselves around Ashitaka, ready to attack on command, Ashitaka recognized every single one of them; from Jousan the old watcher to Kamakura the young stable boy.

Ashitaka turned toward Jousan and bowed, who looked at him as if he were one of the emperor's samurai, but soon recognized him and dropped the long sword he held, mesmerized.

"Ashitaka?" he said, "I-i-is it really you boy?"

The others in the circle either put their weapons down or sheathed them, but they all gazed in awe at their prince who had finally returned, and they exchanged greetings.

Even so, Ashitaka didn't stay long, he went up to the Oracle's partly destroyed hut, and what he saw in there was not what he left that one night after he was cursed.

Part of the hut had been burned down; and no longer did Hii-san sit in the middle of the floor, she laid on a mat on the far side of the room, and besides that, the room was forsaken, empty.

Ashitaka walked toward the old woman but she opened her eyes when he came to the middle of the room, and she sat up, which made him stop.

"There you are boy, sit down," she sad sternly, in appearance she seemed to have grown much older since he last saw her, but her boldness had not changed, "what took you so long? Did you think you could so easily forget about us?"

Ashitaka, who had sat down cross-legged when she told him to, bowed deeply before saying, "I am sorry Oracle."

"Oh don't get so formal with me," she informed him, "you are no longer a boy. You have come a long way and there is no time to entrance me with flattery."

When Ashitaka made no reply she said, "Now, now, now. You don't think that you are here for nothing now do you? Now speak up. I have been hard to hear-and see lately so be kind to me, and be thorough, it isn't a good story without the details."

Ashitaka, began his story, at the night that he left....

(a few hours later, after the noontime meal was over, Ashitaka got to the part about his dream, he started)

"Wait!" he said, "I forgot to ask you what I came here for- what happened to Kaiya after I left?"

Hii-san hung her head and sighed, "I imagined you'd get to that question sooner or later.... well you see, almost as soon as you left, she came up to me and said she was going after you, and left later that night. I tried to stop her, but she said she had to go with you."

Ashitaka's face was sad as he looked out of the large hole that used to be a wall.

"And I am just guessing now, but unless I don't know what I'm saying, but by the look on your face, she never found you."

"No...she didn't-"

Ashitaka's sentence was interrupted by a battle cry from outside.

Ashitaka's head shot up as he recognized the yell, "San."

He got up and ran out of the hut.

**********

San and her brother had ridden quickly and had found the abandoned watchtower only a few hours after Ashitaka had, and San told her brother to stop, and she got off.

"I can find my way from here," San announced as she turned to face the wolf.

Her brother responded, "Good. I'm not quite sure how well these people could handle a large wolf."

"What will you do while I'm in there?"

He sniffed the air.

"Yes. just as I thought. There are gods in these mountains. I will find out all I can about this area while you can go in and see what's going on."

He ran off into the trees and San went in the direction of Yakkul's (who's was the strongest) scent.

After finding the red elk, he told her that Ashitaka had gone to Hii-san, whose hut was the one farthest away and highest up, and had been there for some time.

"Thank you Yakkul," San said and itched him affectionately under his chin, "I'll be back."

She snuck silently through the wreckage, wondering why Ashitaka was so keen to come here.

But she now smelt human, and let out a war cry as the young Emishi boy lunged on her, but his blow was intercepted by her dagger.

The boy backed up and stood nervously holding his sword, which was amazingly like Ashitaka's, and breathed heavily, and San took off her mask, an annoyed face had been hiding behind it, and let her knife by her side.

'Gods, that girl's beautiful,' he thought as he trembled and nearly dropped his sword, 'she's the most amazing person in the world.'

Before San could say anything, Ashitaka ran in front of her, the fact that she was here surprised him, but he didn't have time to wonder.

The rest of the men ran out again, this time to protect Ashitaka and not to scare him away.

They rounded the three of them, waiting for his orders, but they didn't come.

Jousan was the first one to speak. "Ashitaka, should we attack?"

Ashitaka turned to San, just as an arrow snapped and shot her in the back, causing her to fall over into Ashitaka's arms.

One of the older men's trembling fingers had slipped from the string holding the arrow, hitting her squarely in the center of her back.

"San? San!" Ashitaka went to his knees and pulled the lone arrow from her flesh, causing blood to flow freely. He immediately ripped cloth from his sleeve, and pressed it against the wound, but the blood flow did not stop.

"Dammit!" Ashitaka cried as the blood soaked through.

The boy who had first attacked San walked toward Ashitaka and spoke to his old friend.

"Ashitaka. We must get her to the Oracle or she will die!"

Ashitaka's head popped up and he immediately picked up San, carrying her to the Oracles hut.



A/N- I hope you enjoyed this long chapter (heehee) that leaves you in total and complete suspense!

A/N 2- yay! the uploady thingymajigger is working again!!