Right, here's the next part! Thank you to people who reviewed. (

I woke up in my bed and groaned.

"You're up!" cried Anekos' relieved voice.

She was kneeling next to me looking exhausted.

"W-what happened?" I stammered.

She frowned and bit her lip. I noticed Reizo and Kumiko sitting behind her. Kumiko had a bandage around her leg and bad scratches up and down her arm.

"The wolves attacked when we weren't paying attention. One of them knocked you over and you banged your' head really hard. Reizo looked after you." I tried to sit up but the room whirled and pain shot through me. I whimpered.

"Shhhh, it's okay," whispered Aneko, "are you hungry?"

I stayed in bed for a few days and was very groggy for ages after. The wolves attacked a lot and always when we least expected it. The strange girl with them was a fearsome fighter.

Lady Eboshi and the men held them off well, but life was still pretty grim. My mother was not coping well. She was always bursting into tears for no reason, and sometimes she just sat and stared into space. I hated that. It scared me.

The worst thing happened when Aneko was out. I was sitting in my room, watching everyone wandering around. That was one of my favourite things to do because I learnt so much.

Mother had been sobbing downstairs last time I saw her. I would have tried to comfort her but it didn't make any didn't make any difference anymore. So there I was daydreaming when I heard a crash downstairs. I jumped up and leapt down to find mother running around the kitchen screaming. She was grabbing everything she could reach and throwing it on the floor. For a moment I stood there is shock but then she saw me in the doorway. "You! I hate you! You ruin everything. I loved you! But you don't care about me!" She picked up two bowels and hurled them at me. I ducked and winced as I heard them smash behind me.

Mother started to walk towards me. Her shaking hands snatched up Fathers' old sword. I knew she hadn't used a weapon in her life but I doubted that would make a difference so I ran back to our room. I bent down to pull up the floorboard under which was hidden my most prized possessions- a tiny doll that belonged to my grandmother, a locket Father had had given me and a rather short sword. I scrabbled desperately at the wood; I could hear Mother advancing up the stairs.

At last I heaved it up and snatched up the sword. I didn't want to hurt her, but I hoped that I could hold her off until Aneko came home. Mother strode in. She smiled evilly.

She swung her sword. I held mine up and just about managed to block the blow. She glared and swung again. I blocked again. I don't know how long it went on but it seemed like forever. Eventfully I couldn't go on. I was exhausted, for the sword was heavy and I have never been very strong.

I dodged past her and hurried out of the door. She followed. I weaved through the people, not knowing where I was going. Suddenly I banged into someone. Reizo. He saw my frightened face and Mother running behind me. He stepped in front of her.

She stopped annoyed.

"Hello. Now what's wrong?" he asked calmly. She started to sob again.

"Her. She doesn't love me!"

"I do!" I lied quickly. Reizo pried the sword from her hands. I hugged her and told myself I did love her really.

"Let's go home." I whispered. She sniffed and nodded. I took her home and cleaned her up. Then I tidied up the mess. All the time she just sat there staring into space. I sighed. I didn't know what had made her like this, but I felt as long as we were at war with the forest she would be ill. Little did I know that at that very moment peace was coming. And it was riding a red elk.

Okay, this never happened in the film but I got carried away! And otherwise this would be a deadly boring story. I'll put the next chapter up as soon a possible.

Aiko: Little love because she's only little! Aneko: Older sister 'cos she's Aikos' big sister. Leiko: Arrogant because she is. Marise: Infinite, endless- a little joke! Reizo: Cool, calm because he is. Kumiko: Companion child because she is Aikos' friend.

I got all the names and their meanings from 20'000-names.com so if they are wrong. tough. Lol