The demon in the pit roared its eternal hatred.
San looked at Ashitaka, and saw no trace of the man she knew; instead, there was a mask of blind fury, unable to contain the flame that burned in his eyes.
"Attack!" Shogun Nokurashi yelled to his men on the ground floor, and half a dozen samurai advanced on the lone warrior, blades raised and shouting battle cries.
"Ashitaka!" Kaya shouted, fear staining her hollow cry.
Ashitaka, his face dark in the shadow of his loose hair, took up a stance, Chen's katana held in a two-handed grip, and watched his enemies come. San lost sight of him behind his cluster of opponents for a moment, but not for long.
Kaya gasped beside her, and San took her in her arms again, her eyes widening as a strange mix of exhilaration and horror mingled in her chest.
Ashitaka was carving his way through the enemy samurai with deadly precision, every stroke and slash warding a blow or finding a target, his blood-darkened blade blurring with the incredible speed with which it was wielded, Ashitaka himself a dark phantom of rapid death. The samurai fell before him or were driven back, and he advanced, every step and lunge taking him closer to where San and Kaya lay.
Something made itself known as she watched the carnage. Was it fear? No, it was something more primal. She recalled it from when she'd been taught by her mother, trained by long nights of being hunted and stalked in the darkness of her home mountains. It was a shared respect for a predator of unrelenting ferocity.
The gray-eyed warrior killed without hesitation, without mercy, his body and mind totally and utterly dedicated to one purpose- the removal of all obstacles in his path, and San saw for the first time what the man she loved was truly capable of. He'd been holding himself back, she realized with a somber awe, and now he'd truly lost himself to the cause he'd chosen.
Ashitaka had always been capable of great violence, and had hated himself for it, San realized. But now all restraint had been broken. Now Ashitaka, the man who'd given Princess Mononoke peace, had become violence incarnate.
In San's arms, Kaya wept.
The samurai stopped throwing themselves on Ashitaka's blade, and retreated from his onslaught, and soon there was only one figure between the Prince and his target.
"You. Eboshi's Kage." Nokurashi's voice was lifted by surprise. "You'd seemed threatening when I'd met you before, but now you show the span of your abilities. Impressive." The Shogun drew out his tachi deliberately, the long blade flashing in the firelight. "But it was foolish to come alone. You're mine."
Ashitaka shouted a wordless cry, and suddenly his blade was sparking off the Shogun's, the unerringly fast strike too quick for San's pain-streaked brain to follow accurately.
The large warrior, if he'd been caught by surprise, didn't show it, swinging out with an armored fist, forcing Ashitaka to duck back and then immediately dodge again as Nokurashi's blade sang through the air with a great whoosh. The Shogun didn't relent, tachi descending in a pair of powerful downward chops, once, twice, Ashitaka stepping aside from the first blow and deflecting the other.
The smaller fighter rushed in and thrust, the point of his sword darting for his opponent's heart, but the Shogun used his bracer to ward the blow. Ashitaka recovered his momentum with quick footwork, dancing away from the counterattack.
The two fighters regarded each other, Nokurashi holding steady in front of the cage while Ashitaka circled.
The other samurai looked on, unsure of what to do, but San only had eyes for Ashitaka. He was locked on to his target, single-minded and severe, eyes glints of glass reflecting the light of his strategically contained rage.
San felt like she should say something, but didn't know what she could say to help him. A distraction at this point might cost him his life.
Kaya whimpered softly, tears running down her cheek, and San remembered that she wasn't alone in here. "He looks so hurt…" Kaya whispered. "So dark."
San's eyes darted over Ashitaka's figure, but all the blood staining him was from others. Then she realized what the girl meant. "Yes… he is." She looked at Kaya, trying to find something reassuring to say, something to let her know that this warrior, this killer, was still somehow the man she'd known, but nothing came to her.
The two warriors joined in combat once again, blades flashing in the dimness, Ashitaka's quick strikes warded by the Shogun's immovable defense. Ashitaka took a moment to recover, but Nokurashi immediately took advantage and raised up a heavy strike. Ashitaka raised his blade and deflected it with a grunt of exertion, stumbling backwards from the weight of the blow. Nokurashi lashed out with a kick, sending Ashitaka backwards.
Kaya cried out as the Shogun rushed forward, abandoning his stalwart stance in favor of a surprisingly fast thrust. Ashitaka only just managed to twist out of the way, his own blade clanging against the Shogun's thick shoulder armor. Nokurashi laughed and swung a fist, catching Ashitaka across the face and sending him stumbling.
"You're tired, boy. Anger can only fuel a body for so long. What connection do you have to my prisoner? It can't simply be an associate, you have too much passion for that." His tone turned mocking. "A lover, perhaps?"
Ashitaka grit his teeth and shouted, katana whistling as he swung it towards the large warrior.
"Oh, it seems I'm correct." Nokurashi batted the blow away. "How romantic–" He struck like a bear, his longer blade sweeping in an arc that forced Ashitaka to the ground.
"Ashitaka! Calm yourself, don't be sloppy!" San shouted. "He favors his right!"
Ashitaka sprang up as the heavy sword cut the air below him, his own sword striking the underside of Nokurashi's bracer, causing the warrior to grunt in pain at the impact. Ashitaka landed deftly and backed up, visibly taking a deep breath.
"Ashitaka, is it? That name sounds familiar…" Nokurashi mused, attention not leaving his opponent. "Wait… I know where. From the Emishi coward. Are you Emishi as well, Ashitaka?"
Ashitaka looked up, eyes narrowed and focused. "Thank you, San." In a quick movement, he changed stances and charged, blade glinting in anticipation of blood drawn.
The Shogun swung downwards, aiming to cut the young man from shoulder to hip, but Ashitaka was too fast, twisting beyond the blow. He struck swiftly at the Shogun's left side, the larger man only just able to block with his iron bracer, the impact buffeting him. Ashitaka continued, blade drawing back to strike again, but now Nokurashi was turning, his long blade descending. Ashitaka caught the sword and shoved it aside.
San lost track of the combat for a moment as Aiko, in the corner of her vision, began speaking urgently to his warriors, who looked at him silently a moment before nodding. He hadn't retreated, she noted with surprise. What was he planning?
Ashitaka and Nokurashi were fighting with all their might now, and San couldn't make way of how it would end; Ashitaka was too quick to be struck entirely by the heavy blows, but the Shogun was steady and surprisingly fast, and his armor deflected most of Ashitaka's hits.
But it became clear that Ashitaka was tiring, San could see it, he'd looked exhausted ever since that night under the crescent moon, and now it was catching up to him. With a massive uppercut of a blow, Nokurashi suddenly caught Ashitaka off-balance, and then brought his tachi back down in a thunderous downstroke. Ashitaka frantically raised his own blade, but in a devastating chime of metal his katana shattered.
"Ashitaka!" San shouted, and beside her Kaya could only manage a scream as the young man stumbled back, blood dotting the stone floor under him. San stifled the explosion of panic and forced herself to watch as Ashitaka straightened, dropping the broken hilt of the katana. Ashitaka raised his eyes, ignored the blood running down his cheek, and drew his ringblade from under his coat, facing the Shogun.
"The shards from his sword cut his face," San said, breathless. "He wasn't hit." The wound didn't look deep and it hadn't caught his eye, as far as San could tell; the breaking sword had allowed him to back away just enough.
Kaya gave a ragged sigh of relief and sagged against San, shoulders shaking.
"You fight well, Ashitaka of the Emishi," Nokurashi stated, bringing his sword up again, a grim smile on his face. "A lesser man would have been split in two. I wonder how great you could have been had you fought under me."
Ashitaka didn't reply, just held his ringblade in a two-handed grip, taking deliberate deep breaths, his eyes not leaving the Shogun.
And then something tickled in San's mind.
San, if you're there, Ashitaka is coming! I couldn't make him wait!
Hitori's voice broke through San's panic. Hitori!? He's already here, but he needs help, where are–
I– San! There was a pause in the young wolf's voice, and San caught a flash of great relief. Then it morphed. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT YOU STUPID HUMAN SISTER HOW DARE YOU GO ALONE YOU SCARED ME SO MUCH–
I know I know, calm down, Hitori, where are you? Is any more help coming?
A roar came from the demon's pit and a burst of pain flashed through San's mind, her link with Hitori breaking from the power of it, the rage of the twisted being pounding in her head. She groaned through gritted teeth, looking over to the darkness. She swore, for a brief moment, that she could see tendrils of its foul energy reaching into her line of sight, and her eyes widened.
And then San's horror was redirected as the blade of a sword was brought before her, held ready between the bars of her cage.
"A pity you've come so far, Ashitaka of the Emishi." Shogun Nokurashi stated, his tachi held at the ready, poised to pierce both girls at once. "Only to fail."
"No!" Ashitaka shouted, panic piercing his focus, face stricken. "San! Kaya!"
The Shogun looked down at San, and his eyes were hard. "It seems there is some fear in you, after all, Mononoke."
San gasped as the man shoved his sword towards her, and she closed her eyes, desperately pushing Kaya away from the path of the blade.
A clang of metal on metal, a force rocking their cage, and a cry of shock.
San opened her eyes, adrenaline surging through her, and looked beyond the bars.
Before her, between the cage and the Shogun, stood the Kazekata. The green-armored wielder of the greatspear reset his stance, shoving the Shogun's tachi away with a flourish. The other brandished a katana and wakizashi, their blank mask meeting the incredulous Shogun's stare evenly.
Aiko took up a stance behind them, an elegant tanto drawn in hand. "Shogun Nokurashi, I order you to stand down. End this peacefully, and I will treat you with mercy and honor for the great service you've given my father."
San heard the shake in his voice, but the Prince stood tall, he and his bodyguards facing a sea of drawn blades and stunned faces.
The Shogun regarded them, eyes wide in shock, seeming at a loss for words. Behind him, Ashitaka had the same expression, looking between Aiko and the Shogun in confusion, unheeding of the blood dripping from his chin.
"You can't be serious," the Shogun growled. "These are your enemies, Prince Aiko. Whatever she's telling you, it's undoubtedly a lie. They deserve nothing more than death!"
"She's not the only one who has deceived me," Aiko rejoined, voice growing stronger with every word. "I am the Heir to this Empire, and I will reserve my judgment of these prisoners until I know everything that has been hidden from me. As the head of state and dictator of its laws, I do not recall giving you leave to execute them." Brandishing his tanto, Aiko stepped forward, putting himself between the Kazekata. "Again, I order you, by divine right. Shogun Tomorunai Nokurashi, stand down."
His words echoed in the room, and every eye was on him. The huge warrior hesitated, backing up a step, face twisted in shock.
"Aiko…" San whispered. He was… standing with them, and she swore she felt his words stirring something inside her. Was it awe? At that moment, she could almost believe that the blood of gods ran in Prince Aiko Yamasaki.
"What is this man?" Kaya asked softly beside her, and San looked down to see the girl's remaining eye wide and looking at Aiko.
"A good one," San replied, eyes narrowing. She didn't add that he wasn't likely to survive for much longer. There was sudden movement, and Ashitaka darted around the Shogun, taking advantage of the situation, and he neared the Kazekata warily. They didn't lower their weapons, but also didn't move to strike at him.
The Shogun straightened, narrowed eyes burning glints in the torchlight. "I see. She's bewitched you." His voice was loud, carrying over the muttering chaos of the other samurai. Nokurashi raised his sword, and shouted behind him, "The Prince has been taken by Mononoke's magic!"
"No! I am of sound mind," Aiko protested vehemently, but it was too late.
"We must kill her to end the spell," the Shogun intoned, lowering his tachi. "Try to take the Prince alive, maybe he can still be saved."
But in those eyes San saw the truth. "He's going to kill him," she murmured, heart sinking.
The Kazekata readied themselves, weapons steady as they faced their former allies beside their Emperor.
And then Ashitaka was beside them, kneeling heavily, dropping his ringblade. "San, Kaya."
"Ashitaka," Kaya replied, voice breaking, and reached out.
He took both her hands, putting his head against the bars, heaving breaths. "By the gods, what have they done to you?"
"Ashitaka," San said urgently. "Hitori is coming, I don't know who with, but the battle's not over."
Ashitaka opened his eyes, his entire frame racked with the emotions and exertions surging through him, but he didn't look at her.
"You have to keep fighting, just a little longer." She reached out, touching the wound on his cheek with her scarred hand. "I know you can."
He met her eyes, everything breaking within him, the shards too jagged for tears.
"I'll be right behind you."
Ashitaka and San looked at each other, and an immeasurable moment passed between them. He reached out and touched her in return, bloodied hands tracing the marks on her face, and then nodded.
"No, please…" Kaya pled, voice weak. "You're hurt…"
Ashitaka looked to her, and smiled. It was that smile.
Then, letting go of their hands, Ashitaka took up his blade once again, and stood with the Kazekata against an army, ready to kill once again to protect what he loved.
And as his knuckles went white and he braced himself for violence, San realized that she'd already decided what she was going to do, when they were free. She was going to follow the man who held her heart.
Explosions of sound reverberated in the stone chamber like a volley of loosed thunder, and suddenly the approaching line of warriors faltered as several of them were taken down by an unexpected assault, their armor pierced clean through. San's head turned to the right of the room, and there, on the highest level, stood a row of female warriors wielding rifles.
"Again!" came the order from Lady Eboshi, regal even in the same armor as her soldiers, and behind them rushed the armored figures of samurai, led by a man in black armor.
"Secure the cage," Chen shouted, expression set in determination, "protect San and Kaya!" His warriors replied with a shout, and began leaping from down to the next level with practiced coordination, and right with them, a dart of white fur and gleaming teeth.
Hitori?
And then, carrying above the chorus of violence and the refrains of gunfire, came the war cry of a Wolf God, a piercing howl echoing in ears and minds. YOU KILLED MY FATHER. YOU HURT MY SISTER. YOU WILL REPAY IN BLOOD.
San gasped as all of a sudden, it was not one voice, but three.
YOU WILL REPAY.