Hey all, Pen here.
I AM SO SORRY about not updating in so long! It seems that my nearing-end-of-high school senioritis has extended past just school work into my fanfiction. So, apologies twice over.
Along the same lines- my hands are in really bad shape, so I thank you for your forgiveness and understanding in the future when my updates continue to be slow. NEVER GET OLD, people. It's no fun.
Cookies to EVERYONE who took a guess at who the father of our new arrival was! But EXTRA cookies to… well, that would just be giving it away, right?
Thanks for your reviews again! Now, here's the chapter.
Earth and Stone
Kataki Bou was not a man of many words, and if not for his appearance he could have very well faded from memory and care of those he met. His eyes, though an unimpressive brown color like that of many of the townspeople, held a sharpness that was reminiscent of a hawk, constantly alert, narrowed, and keen. His figure suggested hard labor, despite the apparent finery of his clothes and the raiment of his company, and he wore his hair in the customary style of a common laborer, a top knot on the crown of his head. He was clean shaven except for a light shadow of stubble from his travels, like the rest of his men.
Their company had been shown to one of the nicer rooms in town, a spacious, loft-like room above a tea shop. Lady Eboshi's quarters were only a half-mile away, convenient for her would-be guests. However, to Kataki's irritation, the lady of the town was not resting in her quarters, but out and about dealing with town business.
The other men in Kataki's party were content to rest, throwing down traveling sheets and wrapping themselves up to sleep. The quiet snuffles and snores of his company was a familiar, soothing noise to Kataki; he allowed himself to sink into meditation. Soon enough, he would gain audience with Lady Eboshi, hear her side of the story, and then he would go into the accursed forest, into the place that had made his father a broken man.
He only partly blamed Eboshi for his father's ruined fortune, having been fed on a steady diet of bitterness and hate as a child toward anyone related to the Great Disaster. His father, Jiko Bou, had been an assassin monk, an employee of the Emperor. With the promise of a mountain of gold in exchange for the Forest Spirit's head, Jiko had been aided by Eboshi in finding the god, but once he had gotten the head she hadn't helped protect it from the brat Ashitaka and his wolf girl. Those two were the main recipients of Kataki's resentment; it was due to their actions that his father had lost favor with the Emperor, and the reason that Kataki had been forced to live in poverty, scarping a living as a stone mason, hewing living marble from deep, dangerous gorges until finding the small pocket of gold that had restored a small portion of Jiko's fortune. The find hadn't lessened the thirst for revenge; if anything, Kataki was even more determined to make the two pay for the twenty wasted years of his life. The wolf girl had a nice sum on her head; he would bring that to the Emperor instead. Only when all responsible for his horrible life were dead could he finally be satisfied.
Until then, he would wait. He was willing to wait as long as it took.
"There you have it, gentlemen. You are the fair owner of the calf, Morishuko-san, and you, Hachimura-san, should avoid gambling in the future."
The two men bowed in thanks to Lady Eboshi before going along their own ways. Gonza, Lady Eboshi's long-time second in command, looked at her admiringly. "M'lady, you've lost none of your touch. T'was fairly decreed."
"Thank you, Gonza." Eboshi shrugged her shoulders a few times, wincing a little as the stiffness in her bones protested the movement. "I envy Ashitaka his horse at such times. If I ever had any doubts about his ideas on maintaining a stable in the past I now understand any and all arguments."
Gonza's face transformed in alarm. "M'lady! Are you fit to travel? Shall I call a rickshaw?"
Eboshi shook her head. "That makes no sense. I have no intention of hiring a man to wait around on my traveling whims."
"Any man here would be more than willing, M'lady."
"They don't know any better; I would be costing them a whole afternoon's worth of commissions." Eboshi sighed, brow wrinkling in thought. "Gonza, let's walk to the stables. Perhaps there would be a solution that would help more than just me."
Yakul's head snapped up as the stable door swung inside, illuminating his large box stall. Restlessly the elk nosed at the two visitors, liquid brown eyes anxious as he found that neither of them were his master. Eboshi stroked the long white blaze that ran down the elk's nose.
"Your master is fine, he's in the forest." Eboshi murmured, remembering the human-like bond that Yakul and Ashitaka shared. "But, in his absence, I was hoping you and I could help one another."
As Eboshi spoke to the elk, Gonza had gone in search of one of the unused, lightweight rickshaws that were stored in the back of the stables. They were normally pulled by a man, and so were as lightweight a vessel as one could find. Though perfect for men, the two-wheeled vehicles were too flimsy to be pulled by the fast-moving horses and mules of Iron Town. However, with Yakul's limp, Eboshi had reasoned that he would move at a slower pace. That, combined with his grace that other pack animals lacked, would make the rickshaw the perfect solution for Eboshi's strength and Yakul's restlessness.
The elk stood still as Gonza rigged a temporary harness to the rickshaw, and when Eboshi told him to walk, Yakul pulled forward as obediently as a cart horse. Eboshi smiled as Gonza walked beside the rickshaw. "I do believe we've reached a solution. Come, Yakul, let's see how our town in faring."
After another twenty-four hours' rest, Ashitaka felt refreshed enough to stand and walk around the large cave. Twice he had seen the large white wolf brothers coming and going from the cave, bringing back small game, usually rabbits and red squirrels. San had explained their meal plan concerning the low population of bigger game. To make himself useful, Ashitaka had busied himself with the two rabbits Yama-Inu had given to him to prepare and eat how he liked, skinning them and washing them in the nearby stream San had gotten fresh water from. He delayed cooking them, hoping for San to return from her hunt so he could give her some of the meal. He had a feeling that she might appreciate something other than raw rabbit meat, and continued with his preparations by hunting around the foliage within a short walk from the cave. He found some tubers and a few herbs that would combine into a broth before taking another nap.
"Ashitaka, how are you feeling?" San had returned.
He sat up, then got to his feet to take the brace of dead rabbits from her. "I feel almost as good as normal, thanks to you."
"Fit enough to travel?"
Ashitaka hesitated. He had fancied a hint of disappointment in San's voice, though her face was expressionless. "Perhaps in another day or two, if you don't mind my staying here."
San's smile was unmistakable, and Ashitaka felt himself grow warm in response. he turned to where his broth was warming by a small, banked fire.
"Would you like to try this? It's a simple broth, but you might like it.."
San hunkered down beside him, taking the half-gourd he offered her. Scooping up a sample of the steaming broth, she sipped on it. With a smile and nod, she took another enthusiastic taste. "I like it! It's different."
Ashitaka smiled and joined her. "Where are your brothers now? Yama-Inu was here earlier, but he said he wouldn't be back until tomorrow."
"There's still rumors in the Sky Tribe of another demon." San's face darkened at the memory of the last two demons she had faced. "It seems to be happening too fast, like it's some form of infection rather than a demon plague. Yama-Inu and Usi-Kai were going to make another sweep of the mountain looking for it."
They continued to eat, conversing easily about the state of the forest, replenishing animal populations, and other aspects of their lives until the gourds they were using to scoop the broth out scraped the bottom of the bowl that had been among Ashitaka's things. Then, San spoke up.
"There were two people in the forest today."
"What?"
"They were barely in the trees, close to the gardens. They didn't see me." San paused. "They were acting strangely."
Ashitaka frowned. "How so?"
San herself was frowning, trying to think of a way to accurately describe what she had seen. "They were putting their mouths together, like they were trying to feed one another, but there was no food."
Ashitaka turned pink at her description, replaying a faded and barely-conscious memory of San feeding him in the same way she was describing. "They weren't feeding one another. It was a man and a woman, yes?"
San nodded, mouth full of hot broth.
"Then, they were probably kissing."
"Kissing?"
Ashitaka smiled, gently. "It's what a man and a woman do when they care deeply for one another. When they," he hesitated, eyes on San's face. "When they love one another."
"Why?" San's cheeks were also flushed, but Ashitaka couldn't decide if it was the conversation or the glow of the firelight.
"Well," Ashitaka thought for a moment. "It feels good, I suppose."
"Have you ever… kissed someone?"
Ashitaka felt his cheeks burn. "My mother and sister, but that wasn't the same kind of love. That was a family's love, not… not a lover's love."
"So it's something humans do a lot?"
"I-I suppose. When they want to."
San set her gourd down, not looking at him. Then, she turned to him, and with uncharacteristic tenderness, placed her lips on his.
Ashitaka froze for a moment, before kissing her back. It was simple, and sweet, and made his head swim, and his stomach turn over pleasantly. San never did anything hesitantly, and the kiss was no different. It was as if the sound of the world had turned off, all of Ashitaka's senses were focused on San. San's taste, San's smell, the texture of San's lips, the feel of her hand resting on the back of his neck, fingers twining curiously in the hair at the nape of his neck. The deeper he made the kiss, the more he wanted, and by the way San moved closer to him spoke volumes about her reciprocated feelings.
They overbalanced, San falling back against the cave floor, Ashitaka's hand resting tenderly on the back of her head. He massaged her mouth with his, delighting in her every response. When he finally pulled back, deliciously slow, the moist, soft skin of their lips stuck together until the last moment. He found himself breathing hard, as if he had run a long distance.
He met San's eyes. She looked back calmly, deliberately, and then leaned up to kiss him again.
End ChapterSo, you who guessed Jiko Bou the monk, props AND cookies.
Again, sorry for the wait, I hope this chapter was a good comeback.
Until next time, cheers,
Pen