Life Goes On

Well, enjoy my first ever one-shot piece. I was bored and wanted to do something else besides my current fanfic with Spirited Away. I hope you like it. RR if you want.

Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Mononoke. Although I do have it on DVD…

The day started with the wind. As the sun had risen, so did the gusts. The grass danced harder as the sun moved closer to the middle of the sky and the wind grew stronger by every inch the sun rose. It was a hot day, but the wind helped San cool down a bit. The breeze was gentle as the early signs of sunrise came, but became fierce at noontime. It would get tired from time to time, so it only blew in every few minutes.

As San scouted through the forest, she began to feel fatigue. She had been looking around the new land with her brothers to see if the forest was really back in shape again. Of course it would never be the same without the Forest Spirit, but it was still a good, new beginning for the humans and beasts.

Feeling more fatigue, she told her brothers to move on and keep scouting while she rested by the river. She definitely needed the day off. She had been working in the forest non-stop to bring it back to full swing. She'd been fasting, praying, and hoping for the Forest Spirit to return. The ape tribe would not be at peace so she was forced to find a way to bring back the Forest Spirit. And at times like these, she could only think of just giving up.

Her life seemed so empty. Being as busy as she was, she took no pleasure in anything. It was like she had died when the forest had died. Everything changed. Nothing was left for her to go back to but a human life. Being a "wolf" was something she could not ignore, but being a human was something she always denied. If she just admitted it and accepted all that had happened, she would be able to go on with her life.

By the river she took rest. She sat on a rock and lay her feet into the icy waters. She splashed water on her face to clean up and then leaned back onto the grass. She closed her eyes and felt the gentle sounds of the birds and the trees. The wind whistled quietly and would once in a while get louder. Though the sun was at its peak, San enjoyed the weather and was cooled down by the rushing water and the blowing wind.

As soon as she was just getting comfortable, she sensed something around her. She opened just her right eye to spy around and then noticed a being standing to her left. She sat up and looked at the familiar face. He hadn't changed a bit.

"Ah, Ashitaka. What brings you here?" She said nonchalantly.

"You, San." He said. It had been a year since they have seen each other. He had to help rebuild iron town and she had to help rebuild the forest, so they didn't have time to see each other.

"I saw the town the other day." She said, slightly kicking her feet in the water. A bit tired himself, Ashitaka sat down next to her and soaked his feet in the water as well. "It's been repaired quite nicely."

"Do you still hold a grudge?" He asked.

"Yes. On top of that the forest will never be the same. I've tried everything and there's nothing I can do to bring the Forest Spirit back."

"San…he is here right now. Why do you still try so hard to restore something that has only merely changed? He is altered, not dead." Ashitaka stared at San's eyes, hoping to find out what exactly was going through her mind.

"If he is alive I do not feel him. And even if he was alive I still have nothing left. My mother has died, the Forest Spirit has deserted us, the other spirits of our world are slowly vanishing, and my brothers are not themselves anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"They have become smaller with each passing week. I did not expect such change so quickly. And even with iron town gone, and a new peaceful village put in, I still have no where to go to."

"You forget San…I would gladly take you." Ashitaka looked at her lovingly and waited for her response but she said nothing. She only looked at him for a moment and then stared back at the water. She didn't really know what to say.

"Listen, I know it's hard for you to accept but you can't give in. This change may not be the best but that doesn't mean we can't try to keep on going. Life goes on, San." He moved in closer to her but she turned her back to him, both seated on the rock still.

"Ashitaka it's hopeless now! My brothers are changing and, just like them, I will soon turn into a lesser being. The new life coming for me is death. Wolves will no longer exist as they once did and neither will the rest of the beasts and gods."

"You are not a wolf San, you are human! Can't you just admit?"

"No! It was a wolf who raised and cared for me. I will not betray her by joining those wretched humans!"

Ashitaka was silenced for a moment. He didn't know what to say until he saw her shaking. A huge gust of wind blew in, catching one of her tears and pushing it so it would fall on her dark blue skirt. Ashitaka saw the tear stain her clothing and put his feelings to words.

"San, look at me." He took her hands in his and she faced him. Tears formed in her eyes very slowly. "The Forest Spirit wants you to live. He wants us to live."

"I know!" San tried to hold back her tears. "I just don't like this change…this change is killing my brothers and it's killing me!" Ashitaka put a hand on her shoulder and her voice lowered to almost a whisper. "I don't want to lose them…I don't want this change."

"You are not losing them. And this change was for the better." He smiled at her, although her tears started to fall.

"How can you say that?"

"Because the beasts and humans can now live in peace."

"No they won't! Humans will never get along with the beasts! It will be constant war until my kind degrades into nothing but mere brainless animals!" San had started a downpour of tears and couldn't stop.

"Yes they will." Ashitaka took both her hands again and stared deeply into her eyes. His smile reassured her everything would be all right.

"The humans have learned a valuable lesson and the Forest Spirit is still with us. This has been all for the better. If it wasn't for this, I would not have been cursed with great strength to protect you…and we would have never met…" San's mouth curved to form a small smile.

"We can go on with our lives, San. Just embrace your new life. I promise it will be ok. I won't let anything happen to you." Ashitaka said, moving in closer to San.

San sniffed in and cleared away her tears with her hand. She stared at the river and slowly moved her head to the side and rested it on Ashitaka's shoulder. She was glad for his help and thankful that she had met him. She still wondered sometimes, though, why he said she was beautiful. She was very thin and pale, Her hair was short and tangled, and she hadn't been exactly pleasant on the first day they met. How could he call her beautiful? She observed her features in the reflection the river gave and didn't see much. She examined her hands but saw nothing more than scratches and cuts. As if to read her mind, Ashitaka straightened up, causing her to remove her head from his shoulder, and said in a low voice,

"You're beautiful." Those were the words he uttered before the Forest Spirit was gone and they were still getting to know each other. San looked at him in disbelief.

"Thank you." She said, forming a smirk on her face. "I guess you humans aren't so dim after all." Ashitaka and San chuckled a little bit. Then San said,

"You were right. The Forest Spirit kept us alive to live on, not to slowly vanish away." San said. She had contemplated all that he had said and decided to let go of her stubbornness. It was time to move on.

"But you know what, I am no longer a wolf. Whether I wanted to stay a wolf was not my decision. I am human and I accept it." She said. Ashitaka didn't think she would admit it so quickly but was glad she did.

"Hmm…and life goes on…" He added.

"So it does." She said, smiling at him brightly. "But it seems that I need someone to share it with…" She looked at him and turned on a more serious face. Ashitaka looked at her quizzically and then it registered into his brain. She was flirting. He just didn't think she was capable of that.

Ashitaka had looked bewildered for moment but smiled in recognition. He encircled his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. She leaned her head on his chest and thought for a moment.

"And yes…I would gladly share my life with you…" She said as if to read his mind.

She parted from his chest and looked up at him. He began to close the space between them and before he moved all the way, he whispered,

"San…I love you."

He then pulled her into a tighter hug, capturing her lips with his own, and reassuring her that life goes on. Her life was going to go on, and he was there to share it with her.