DISCLAIMER: I do not own Princess Mononoke in any way; all characters and the plot belongs to Studio Ghibli. I wrote the novelization as writing practice, and I do not make a profit in any way. PLEASE DO NOT SUE!

II

Ashitaka: The Parting Gift

That night after the sun has been long gone over the horizon, our village council holds a discreet meeting in Hii-sama's alcove, high above the rest of the buildings.

She has her fortune-telling instruments laid out before her, and is anxiously rolling the stones and pebbles around, looking unhappy with the problem. I sit silently and watch her, my arm wrapped in white gauze. The men in the council sit in a row on the side. I can feel them holding their breaths.

"This is very, very bad," the Oracle mutters. "The boar came from a land in the far west, driven mad by the poison of his mortal wounds. His flesh rotting away, he ran and ran towards here, accumulating curses until finally he became a Tatari-gami.

"Prince Ashitaka," she says to me.

"Yes," I reply.

"Show everyone your right arm," she orders.

I unwind the gauze, thrusting out my arm. The entire forearm where the tentacles touched is covered in an ugly dark red and black combination of an unusual, twisted scar, obviously cursed and evil.

The men's eyes widen and they gasp, horrified. "Hii-sama!" Ji-Ji cries.

But the old woman calmly asks me, "Prince Ashitaka, are you prepared to gaze at your own destiny?"

"Yes. I was ready the moment I shot the arrow at the Tatari-gami."

"Hmm," she says. "That wound will eventually reach your bones and kill you."

I clench my teeth and look down at my lap, unable to meet her steady look.

Ji-Ji exclaims, "Hii-sama, is there nothing we can do?!"

"Ashitaka saved the village and protected the girls!" one man shouts.

"To only sit and wait for death," another says quietly.

"No one can change fate, but you can rise to meet it," Hii-sama replies. "Look."

She drops an iron ball on the mat. "This is the thing that ate into the boar's body. It smashed his bones, and tore up his guts, giving him cruel pain and suffering. Otherwise, would the boar have become like that?

"There is something evil happening in the western lands. Going there, to see everything with unclouded eyes, you may discover a way to lift that curse."

I see the truth in her words. It is time for me to leave. "Yes ma'am."

The oldest member of the council speaks up in his ancient voice. "Defeated in the war against the Yamato regime, we have been hidden away in this place for more than 500 years. Now we've heard that the power of the Yamato king has withered, and that even the fangs of the Shoguns were broken. Yet, the bloodline of our tribe also weakens. It may be unchangeable fate that, at this time, the young man who should have become our leader departs to the west." He stares at the floor before him. The row of brooding men does the same.

I unsheathe a small knife and saw off my topknot, then place the hair on the altar of the shrine, and bow to it.

"Our rules forbid us from seeing you off. Whatever you do now, Ashitaka, you are dead to us. I wish you well," Hii-sama says.

I get up and leave without turning back. If it is taboo, so be it.

I dress in my straw cloak and prepare my weapons. Guiding Yakkuru from the stable, I am ready to leave the entire world familiar to me.

As we are about to leave the village, a lone figure emerges from the shadows.

"Ani-sama!"

"Kaya, they forbid farewells…"

"I will accept punishment. Please, take this and remember me." She holds up something small and glittering in her hands. I reach down and examine it.

"Kaya, this is your crystal dagger!" The tiny knife is her favorite accessory, her prized possession. It catches a sliver of moonlight and shimmers.

"I blew a breath on it to make a good-luck charm. I will always think about you, always. Surely... surely!" She is on the verge of tears.

My heart breaks for her. She truly loves me.

I pull down my mouth guard and smile, hoping to be strong for her despite the fact that I, too, feel the tinge of salty tears in my eyes. "As will I. I will always think of you, Kaya."

I urge Yakkuru into a canter. We depart from the village gates and into the uncertainty of the night and the west.

A/N: Thanks for reading, and I hope you follow and review! I will update weekly from now on. A thousand thanks to Eve, my great editor!

Also, I used the subtitle version of this movie, so the script is somewhat different from the dubbed version. For clarification, Kaya is Ashitaka's FIANCEE, not sister! This was a misunderstanding when the movie was dubbed. She calls him "Ani-sama" or "older brother" as a respectful title. They are not related. When Ashitaka leaves, her role as his bethrothed is nullified, since he is dead to the village.