I cannot believe school is taking up so much of my time!
Still, next chapter will be the last (except for those who will want to read a little excerpt that is taken away from this story because it's going to be rated M)
yay...
Ashitaka had planned on leaving as soon as possible but San made sure that did not happen. She knew how to make him senseless, take away all coherent thought and leave him breathless. Even though she had been angry at herself for forgiving him so quickly, she wanted to discard of all of those thoughts as quickly as possible. He was there with her at the moment and that was all that she needed— for the moment, anyway. Maybe later on she would deal with the betrayal, the hurt she had felt before but at the moment she felt none of those feelings. There was another set of feelings burning up within her, feelings she had let go by unnoticed but now were demanding her attention—as well as his. She made sure that this time she took the opportunity to use the power she had over him for her own selfish needs. Not that he minded, he was more than willing to give in to her needs. His own problems were pushed back to the very edge of his mind, not caring if there was truly any danger he needed to know of.
It was all fine to them. Her brothers would not be back for some time and though San was very seriously injured, it did not stop her from pressing his body against her own. She needed the assurance of his warm presence against hers and though he was a bit hesitant at first, he surrendered it, making sure he did not injure her more than she already was. Both knew that they could not get farther than that, her injuries prevented any of that to happen to which Ashitaka mentally cursed and thanked at the same time. How long they remained this way, they were not sure of.
Still, they were too caught up in each other to notice that the two wolves had returned to their home. However, they did notice the urgency in their voice when they spoke.
"The war has started," said Kendo breathlessly, his brother coming to a stop behind him. Ashitaka pulled away from San's embrace, his face turned dark suddenly, all bliss gone from his face and the evidence of what had happened had just being thrown to the wind.
"You are sure?"
"Yes, they're coming into the forest as we speak and the humans are fighting outside of the forest as well."
"All right, well, we need to----San!"
San had just about enough. Though she had a few days to recover, her leg and her arm had not healed fully. Her arm was broken, he knew that for sure though Toki had declared that her leg might just be fractured. She tried to get up, despite Ashitaka's reprimands. She stood carefully, accepting Ashitaka's arm when he offered.
"We are to fight once more," said San, her face forming a small frown as she put weight in her fractured leg, "the humans won't know what hit them."
"You mean, they will fight, isn't that so?" asked Ashitaka with a raised eyebrow, "Because as far as I can see you are in no condition to be in battle."
"No matter," said San dismissively, "I shall endure the pain for now."
Ashitaka knew better than to argue with her but he was worried nonetheless. He knew that her brothers would not let anything else happen to her and he knew she wold not go into battle so recklessly. Or at least he hoped not.
"How do you plan to fight if you can't even stand?"
"We'll help her out," said Kanha confidentially, "she can ride on my back."
Ashitaka sighed, exasperated.
"You are truly not going to listen to me, are you?"
She smiled at him, giving a look that said, 'how did you guess?'
"All right, I know better than to try to stop you," he said but added mildly annoyed, "I'll be there by your side the whole time, though."
"Ugh," grunted San, annoyed but Ashitaka saw the smile spread across her lips.
Too soon for Ashitaka's taste, her face became the mask of war, a dangerous and grave look settled upon her face and her eyes became a steely cold blue. He too felt himself freeze inside, as if his body responded to the prospect of war by numbing his feelings. He felt the now familiar dread that had become so common nowadays fill him up, not for his own sake but for San's. Side by side, two wolves and two humans left the cave they had called home and went into the foliage of the forest, keeping themselves as low as possible. Quietly, they crept up on the humans as San had done once before. As before, they were the same men that followed the Skin Hunter. She glared at them, looking up at them with hatred but tore her gaze away to signal to Ashitaka. The edge, she mouthed, go to the edge. Frowning, he did not ay anything to her but followed her command. He crawled away from the men, confused as to why San would leave them wandering in her forest. He looked back to ask but she made a shushing sound and told him to keep going. Once they were out of sight from the men, her brother stopped crawling and sprinted to the edge.
"Get on," said Kendo gruffly, catching up with his brother as soon as Ashitaka grabbed on to him.
"The humans have begun fighting against each other?" asked San softly, still hidden behind the large bushes that surrounded the outer edge of the forest.
Ashitaka could see that Iron Town had already made its first move. They were giving the samurai hell, attacking with fierceness he had only seen in San. Yet, they too fought to protect their own home from invaders and the comparison made Ashitaka seen a little bit of the wilderness come out of the townspeople as well. The men were ruthless, slashing at anything that moved, cursing furiously for land damaged, lives made harder, wives or daughters hurt or murdered.
San was not really paying attention to this. She saw the men who she had seen while she was tortured, ugly and vile, vicious looking men fighting against Asano's men. Were these not the same men on his side, not Iron Town's? She asked this question to Ashitaka who narrowed his eyes at the sight.
"I don't know," he told her, "But I'm sure Eboshi had something to do with this."
"So what are the men doing inside my forest?"
Ashitaka shook his head, unable to give her any answers. He was about to speak when he heard from a distance the thin sound of a flying arrow. His eyes widened and he told them to duck. They did and the arrow barely missed San. He turned, his eyes flashing, to look upon the men who had captured San, arrows aiming straight at her. Still on the wolves' back, they got out of their range, running out of the forest and straight into the battle. Knowing this was not the best idea, the wolves tried to run around the forest but to no avail. The men had spotted her and began surrounding them. There were many of them, arrows ready in hand and waiting for the Skin Hunter's command. He was there, standing straight in his own suit and armor, his eyes no longer held the spark it had once held for San. He looked upon her with a murderous intent, angry for all the trouble he had to go through for her.
"You damned miserable animal, I've gone through so much for your skin. Betrayed the Devil himself," he paused, a grim smile spread across his face, " although in all actuality, I have probably made a deal with the true Devil herself. I will not leave without you."
He gave the signal and the arrows flew but the wolves were experienced and agile. They deflected the arrows easily. Ashitaka got off Kendo and charged at the nearest man, wrestling with him quickly before sticking his fingers in his neck, paralyzing him. He took the man's sword and knife and charged at the rest. The town's own fight with the samurai were getting dangerously close to Ashitaka's own personal vendetta.
Kendo gave a booming growl and began snapping at anything that moved. Many men met their ends in between the Wolf's fangs and he mercilessly continued. San tied her dagger to a long piece of wood, held it tight in her left hand, and charged at the man, wanting revenge for the mark that still plagued her face and probably would continue to plague her for the rest of her life. The man easily jumped to the side, evading her straight on attack. San was ready for this and turned her wrist, making the piece of wood turn sideways and the edge of the knife made contact with skin. Kanha slid sideways, turning to see the man as he looked at her, his arm covered in blood. He gave her a scared look to which San laughed.
"Scared now, aren't we?"
"San!"
She turned toward his voice and saw his panicked face. The wolf stood still, his nose picking up a foul scent.
"Gunpowder," she whispered, looking down to the ground. Her brother's paws were covered in dark powder, the smell was nauseating not just because of the strength of the smell but how much of it was around them. Their eyes went to the trail, a long path that led all around to form a large, almost imperceptible circle. They turned to see the battle coming closer toward them still but now they knew why. It was a trap, they were planning on blowing up the samurai completely. Kanha stepped out quickly, more scared about San than for his own safety.
Ashitaka looked around for Eboshi. Surely not even she was so cruel to blow them all up. Yet, Eboshi herself was in the middle of the war, a large curved knife tight in her only hand, already bloodied from all the human blood she had spread. She was in company of the Skin Hunter's men, protecting her as well as battling Asano's samurai. Ashitaka frowned but he had very little time to think. The Skin Hunter was adamant in getting what he wanted. The wolf was doing a pretty good job in keeping him at bay but Ashitaka could see the madness that shone in the man's eyes. He looked at San as if she was the only thing he could see, the greed consumed his entire being, but to Ashitaka, this just made his blood boil.
Sword ready in hand, Ashitaka came nearer to the man who spotted him quickly. His eyes lit up more than he though possible and admired the young boy as he came nearer.
"Is this the boy you were protecting?" he asked to no one in particular, "Another Emishi! My lord what a deal I have made."
"What deal?" asked Ashitaka dangerously, not rasing his voice even though the battle was nearing but he did not need to. The man heard him clearly.
"The deal with the devil woman, of course. You were once the most trusted man in town, after all. She sold me both of you for my soldiers to aid her in battle," he signaled the battle a few meters away from them, the men had done a great job in pushing all the samurai in the circle and were now backing away from them, "How do you think the measly town is winning?"
"She sold me and San?"
The man nodded.
"I intend to keep my end of the bargain She will keep hers as well."
He turned back to San and smiled, his eyes glazing over.
"You're beautiful..."
Ashitaka snapped.
The sword became hot underneath his hand and he saw red. Though Ashitaka was not overly strong, he felt enraged and he felt his very veins pump hot blood through his body. The man had no time to react before Ashitaka took a swing with his sword, cutting through bone and flesh of his arm. The man howled in pain but stopped once Ashitaka hit him square in the jaw. The man collapsed, groaning.
"Ashitaka!" yelled San, incredulously looking at the scene before her eyes. She had seen Ashitaka angry before and she had always feared his lack of control when he got this way. The adrenaline got the best of him, his emotions got in the way of his coherent thinking, and she feared he would do something he would regret later on. She got off her brother's back, limping as she tried to walk to him.
"San!" yelled her brother from behind her and she turned to look at him. She did not get the chance to get a proper look at him for the flames that burst from a few feet away blew her back. She felt the hot air, heard the screams of pain, and felt the hairs on her arms and legs singe completely.
"Ashitaka!"
She opened her watering eyes, the instant smell of burning flesh making her gag but she took control of her body.
"Ashitaka!" she yelled once more. Once the smoke cleared a bit, she saw a dark figure hunched slightly, fists hanging on his side and a dark blue glow to his eyes.
Her eyes widened at the sight of his hands, covered in blood all the way up to his forearms. His face had splatters of blood as well, she noticed as he looked down upon the dead man, beaten to death by the bare hands of the young man. The soot and dirt sprayed over them violently, making her cough and cover her eyes. Still, everything dimmed, the explosions, the painful yells of those injured, the joyous shouts of the townspeople, the stink of burning flesh. All those things dimmed as San stared at Ashitaka. He looked down upon his hands, then up to his forearms, to his shirt and gasped softly. He was covered in blood and no matter how hard he tried to rub it off, it stained his very skin, becoming a part of him as the demon mark had once done.
He had beaten the man to death, used all his anger, hatred, and viciousness to bash his skull in, break bone and skin alike. The demon mark had not returned, he doubted it would ever, but it did leave him with more strength than he realized as well as a powerful sense of hatred. Ashitaka began to look around and saw the villagers cheering as they looked upon the flames that had been fed by the multitude of samurai. He looked at them disgustedly, feeling the familiar surge once more. Before it had time to take over him again, San rushed by his side and whispered his name. It could not be heard over the loud din of the townspeople but Ashitaka heard it. A heartbroken whisper.
He turned to face her but he did not meet her eyes. He hid his hands behind him, hoping that if he couldn't see them then they would cease to be covered with blood. The sour stench reached his nose by now and his senses began to return. She felt a small hand touch his cheek, lifting his face. San had a neutral expression on her face but her eyes were the biggest giveaways. She looked at him with a sadness uncomparable to anything he had ever seen. He couldn't stand to see her, couldn't stand to look at anything at the moment. His vision became liquid, his throat closed up, and he felt as if he were drowning.
She limped closer to him still, perhaps to comfort him, hug him, kiss him, do anything to make him forge tall of this.
"No!" he opposed, his voice surprisingly strong. He pushed her away, hard enough for her to limp back. He looked at the bloody hand mark he left on her chest with a shameful frown. They barely realized that the townspeople had quieted and were now looking at them with open mouths. They whispered among each other, some slandering his name, others with compassion.
"Ashitaka–"
Ashitaka growled. He turned to see Eboshi, her own face splattered with blood, looking as flustered as the rest of them. Her eyes went to the dead man on the floor, then back up to his bloodied hands which were now turned to fists, angry fists.
"You sold us off?" he asked quietly, dangerously, "Like cattle? As if we belong to you?"
Eboshi looked unaffected by his tone.
"I had to do what's right for my people," she said serenely, her eyes looking straight at him with no apology or regret, "They will always—"
Her words were cut off as Ashitaka walked over to her and held her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. The townspeople gasped, the uncommon violence shown by the young boy was enough to keep them rooted to their spot.
Eboshi began to gag, her hands went to his hands and tried, fruitlessly, to make him release her.
"You nearly got San killed, you devil," said Ashitaka angrily through clenched teeth, "Do you know how much pain and suffering you bring with your very existence? Do you understand that you are nothing on this Earth but an evil that will devour us all?"
Eboshi was kicking violently by now, her face a mask of fear she had never shown before. The townspeople had enough. They began to react by now, the first shock collapsing and now fury set in. Still, before they could do anything, San got to Ashitaka first. She placed her cold hand on top of the hand he was holding Eboshi with and looked up at him.
"Let her go, Ashitaka," she said calmly but that was the very last emotion she felt. Cold dread was making her shiver, her flesh had raised into goose bumps at the fear he might do something would regret later.
"Ashitaka, listen to me. She's not worth it. Let her go."
He did not seem to be listening to her. In fact, his eyes narrowed as he continued to glare at the despairing woman and she could feel the hatred dripping off of him. As suddenly as he had grabbed her, he let her go. She fell to the floor, coughing and sputtering violently, trying to regain her breathing. He turned to grab San around her waist and slowly walked her back to her brothers. A little surprised by his gentleness, she let herself be led quietly. No one spoke, no one helped Eboshi, no one dared to move an inch. Ashitaka helped San get on her brother's back and once he made sure she was secure, he climbed on to the other wolf. Without a word, they went back into the forest and disappeared in the folds of darkness.
The forest seemed awful quiet as they walked through the large trees and foliage. A couple of Kodamas had emerged and were clicking happily away. Night had set and a cold breeze blew through the trees and the soft rustle of the leaves provided a much needed sense of noise, anything but the pregnant silence that surrounded them. The Kodamas followed the two wolves happily, jumping joyously, and slinking t heir way through the paws of the two wolves. The apes were sitting on the tree branches, their eyes glowing red in the dark of the night as they settled on the passerby. Clans of mice littered the forest's floor and racoons chased each other up the trees. Chirps and whistles from god knows only what animals filled the air, lending their voice to the forest's soundtrack.
In all, it was a typical night for the woods that so many animals called home. The two wolves and the two humans were the only things that stood out in the night. Covered in blood, sweaty and tired, they made their way to the river. The journey did not take long but to them, it felt like an eternity. Once they reached the river, Ashitaka helped San get off her brother, trying not to let the fact that he was unwillingly rubbing the blood off his hands on her every time he touched her. He helped her sit down before he went to the bank of the river, took off his shirt and wet it. He brought it back and started to wipe off the blood off San's face. The two brothers, used to the cold water by now, merely jumped into the river and left a trail of blood in the water. She took his hand in hers and grabbed the cloth. She began wiping the blood off his hands, much to Ashitaka's repulsion. He jerked his hands back, frowning at them. She tried again, softly caressing his forearm before traveling down to his hands.
"It's ok," she whispered, " Let me help."
He said nothing. He did let her clean his hands for him, though, trying very hard not to look at them as she continued her labor. She brought his shirt up to his face and started wiping the blood away. He was still looking down even down they were facing each other. Once she announced she was done, he took care of her as well. The two brothers had already come out from the river and shook the water off from their fur. The cave was not far away from the river so the way home was quicker than anticipated. Once there, San fell on Ashitaka's animal skin, exhausted to say the least. The two wolves had whispered a few comments to her, none of which she could really pay attention to. Seeing this, they whispered their good-nights and fell asleep beside her. She sat up, patting their head warmly, but her eyes were glued to Ashitaka. He was sitting outside with only his arm coverings protecting him from the stinging wind. He looked out to the still-growing forest, the usually bright stars seemed to have faded for that night, and the wind was not as chilly as he thought it would be. His mind was a complete blank and yet, thousands of incoherent thoughts ran through his head.
San called out to him, asking him to get some sleep. At first, it seemed as if he did not hear her or perhaps he chose to ignore her. Nevertheless, she saw him nod and stand up, making his way into the warm cave.
San made some space for him to lay down and covered him with his animal covering. He closed his eyes as soon as his head hit the floor but she knew he was not sleeping. He just wanted to blot out everything that had happened tonight. Maybe if he closed his eyes, everything would just cease to exist. San's soft touch settled him enough for him to fall into a dreamless sleep.
