Chapter 2: His demons

"If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will not be imperiled by a hundred battles. If you do not know the others but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one. If you do not know the enemy and do not know yourselves you will be in danger in every battle."

— Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Ashitaka knew this and he had a long way to go. He knew his enemy; it was himself but he didn't know himself. Therefore he also didn't know his enemy and if he was to find peace with himself he had to find some things out.

What had happened a week back was high on his list. And did he still have his powers? He hadn't tried any of his powers out since he had gotten back out of concern of freaking people out, mainly San.

Night had come at last and he slowly got out of the bed. Naturally San had her back to him and was sound asleep. Quietly he slipped out the door and was soon under the cover of the trees.

The forest always made him feel easier, even in his youth. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The smells of the forest flooded over him, smells that he had forgotten in his long absence.

He opened his eyes and looked around. His wondering had brought him to the Forest Spirits Lake. He was standing on the edge were San had fed him, was that really only a year ago? To San yes, to him no. San that single thought brought his mind back on track. He had come here for a reason and he had questions to answer.

Ashitaka slowly walked up to a tree and extended his right hand. He made a lifting motion and slowly the tree started to move skywards. It's roots groaned in protest but in the end it was torn clean out of the earth. It came back to the earth with a loud thundering crash as Ashitaka let it go. He smiled; 'Time to practice.' More trees fell that night making loud noises. Fortunately the sounds echoed off the mountains making the people of Iron Town it was only thunder from a storm in the mountains.

San awoke with a start. Thunder echoed off the mountains and had disturbed her sleep. She shifted and tossed slightly, she was uncomfortable but she didn't want to wake Ashitaka. Finally she turned over in her quest to find a comfortable position and she gasped at what she saw. Or rather what she didn't see. Ashitaka's side of the bed was empty and when San put her hand on to the bed she felt cold meaning he had been gone a while now.

This made her worry. 'Has he felt me? No he couldn't have… But where did he go? Why?' To the last one San gasped because she knew the answer. Toki had once told her that humans needed physical contact to show that they loved and cared about each other.

Hugging, cuddling, nipping, kissing… the list went one but San's thoughts stayed on the last one; kissing. Ashitaka had kissed her once during the week but she hadn't responded at all. She had just stood there and let Ashitaka do his thing. It wasn't that she didn't like the kiss it was just she was unsure about herself and mostly Ashitaka. She knew that she was different but he had changed greatly. Was he still the same man she had fallen in love?

But he pulled back quickly and had never touched her again. Now that she thought of it they hadn't touched in anyway over the last week, not even accidentally. 'Was this contact really that important to humans? If Toki had said so it must be true.' Toki had also told her about men that left their wives because of a lack of this contact. 'Was that what had made him leave? Was I not fulfilling his need so he had left to be with someone else?'

A hot tear slowly weaved its way down her cheek. How could she be so stupid? How could something so simple wreck her relationship with Ashitaka? Well she wasn't going to let it go unnoticed. She was the Mononoke after all and now she was on the hunt. Her prey was Ashitaka; her would be mate and whoever it was that had him now. She would get him back and make whoever it was pay dearly.

San sat up and tucked her knees against her chest and thought. She thought of every conversation she had had with Toki and was trying to remember any and everything she could that might help her with what she had planned.