Hey again. I'm back with another chapter. Pretty fast for an update, huh? Another late Christmas present. Well, I've had lots of time on my hands, and I thought I'd finish off the Emishi part of this story.

Just watched Penn State beat FSU in Triple-OT at the Orange Bowl. I'm feeling up at the moment, and I decided to post this chapter.

Well, enough jab. Read on.

Being Alive

Chapter 6

"Are you sure you're all right, my prince?"

Ashitaka sighed as he stood before the four armed guards who had been on watch that night. After the recent little disturbance, they were a little more cautious than usual.

"I assure you, I'm fine. You all shouldn't worry so much."

"We understand, sir, but do you really think it is wise for you to be staying with the outlander? As well as young Kaya?"

"Yes, let us guard him! You're too important to endanger yourself like that-"

"I've made my decision, Kei, and I intend to stay with our guest until the Oracle wishes to see him. You will all remain on duty tonight, watching over the rest of the village. Believe me when I say the outlander is perfectly safe for both Kaya and myself to be with. Do you all understand?"

Defeated, the guards lowered their heads, and nodded. "If that is what you wish, Ashitaka-sama, we will abide."

"Thank you."

The guards slowly turned around, and headed back for their posts. Ashitaka watched them leave before heading back to the hut where the stranger was staying. When he stepped inside, he was greeted with a rather amusing sight.

Kaya was leaning over the boy, trying to get him to rest. She had brought back his belongings, and was straightening his bed out, doing anything that she thought would help him get more comfortable. The only problem was, Dante wasn't feeling comfortable at all with her standing around him. He kept trying to get out of bed, but was repeatedly foiled.

"I'm telling you, I'm alright!"

"Please, you must stay in bed. I want to make sure you get comfortable-"

"I'm perfectly comfortable, I don't need you fretting over me- Hey! Leave that alone!"

"I assume everything is going well?"

Both Kaya and Dante turned towards the entrance to see a young Emishi teenager grinning at them. Kaya almost blushed, and moved a bit away from the soldier. "Ani-sama! I…I was just trying to help-"

Ashitaka simply continued to smile before opening his mouth again. "Are you sure you didn't forget anything, Kaya?"

The Emishi girl thought to herself for a second before she stood up, and quickly ran out of the hut. Both Ashitaka and Dante watched her go, with the latter still being very confused. The young prince turned back to the guest.

"Energetic, isn't she? Even with her leg hurt like this."

Dante didn't hear him clearly. He was still mystified by the events of the past hour, and was ready to inquire. He still couldn't explain why these people were here. There was no reasonable explanation, other than that they might have been a group of Japanese who had come to Vietnam to make a profit off the war, and ended up staying. But even that didn't make much sense.

"Excuse me…"

Ashitaka returned the soldiers' gaze. "Yes?"

"I need to ask-"

He was interrupted by the young girl, who once again entered the hut, this time carrying what looked like a small ceramic bowl. She slowly made her way to the bed, sat down her crutch, and held out the bowl for Dante to see.

Dante looked at the bowl, and saw that it was full of steaming rice gruel. There were even a few vegetables and herbs mixed in with the gruel. He looked from the bowl to Kaya, who smiled back.

"I was in the middle of making this when you and Ani-sama got into trouble. I just wanted to make sure you felt okay; you looked like you hadn't eaten in a while." She reached into the pocket of her kimono, and pulled out a pair of red wooden chopsticks, handing them to Dante. "Please, eat. You'll feel better."

Dante looked from her to the contents of the bowl once again. He lowered his head to the bowl, and took a sniff, breathing in the aroma of the herbs that were no doubt grown fresh in some nearby crop. It really smelled good.

He took the chopsticks, and brought the bowl closer to his face. He then used the chopsticks to shovel the gruel into his mouth, swallowing a mouthful. It was surprisingly hearty. "It's good" he said quietly between bites. He'd spent the first ten years of his life eating this way, and he hadn't forgotten the etiquette. It brought back memories to eat like this again.

Kaya smiled as she watched the outlander finish his meal. When he had cleaned out the bowl, he handed it back to her with the chopsticks, which she took. "Is there anything else you need, stranger? If you're not fully relaxed, I can have a bath heated up for you in no time!"

Dante raised his right hand in between them, an embarrassed smile on his face. "It's okay, I'm fine. Please, I just need to rest for a bit, that's all." All the while, he kept thinking to himself.

Why on earth is she being so nice to me? What'd I do to make them happy? Did anything at all happen between these people and me?

Ashitaka, who had smiled and nearly laughed through all of Kaya's pampering of the foreigner, finally spoke up. "Kaya, we both appreciate your help, and I'm sure the outlander is grateful. But I need to speak privately with him now. It's time you had some rest, anyway."

Dante was surprised at the young man's choice of words. 'Outlander'? That's strange…I've never heard natives call us that before…it's always been 'Yank', or something like that…

The girl was a bit reluctant at first, until she turned to the soldier, who broke out of his trance, and nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, thanks for your help. I'll be fine, just go get some sleep."

She smiled, and slowly stood up on her crutch to exit the hut. On her way out the door, she turned back to Dante.

"Thank you, stranger, for saving my life yesterday. I only hope I can be helpful in your recovery. Good night."

She left out of sight, leaving Dante speechless. His mouth was hanging slightly open at her words. Saving her life…what the hell's she talking about?

"Is everything all right, friend?"

Dante shook his head, and looked back at the young man. "Yeah, I'm okay. Listen…can we step outside for a moment?"

Ashitaka was a bit confused, but figured the outlander just wanted some air. "All right." They both walked outside the door, and sat down on the ground, looking up at the starry night sky.

"I'm sorry about Kaya. She's just happy about what you've done for her-" Ashitaka stopped when he looked over at Dante, who was lighting a cigarette he had taken from his fatigue. As Dante put his lighter away, and puffed a lungful of smoke, Ashitaka simply watched, a bit disturbed by his behavior.

When Dante noticed Ashitaka's look, he took the cigarette out of his mouth. "Oh, sorry. Do you not want me to smoke or somethin'?"

"No, it's all right. I…, well, let's just say that I've never seen someone of your age do something of the sort."

His mouth hung slightly open again. Never seen a kid smoke before? This place must be REALLY isolated. Wait, that's right. "Excuse me, uh…I didn't get your name."

"My name is Ashitaka."

"Right."

"And I'm afraid I don't know yours."

"It's Dante. Anyway…I was just wondering…what your sister was talking about a second ago."

Ashitaka chuckled at Dante's words.

"I understand what you mean, but Kaya is not my true sister."

Dante turned his head towards the prince. "Huh?"

"She and I are not related by blood. But we have become such good friends over the years that we respect each other as brother and sister."

"Oh."

"She was thanking you for your actions earlier. Who do you think patched you up after your little incident?"

Dante exhaled another puff of smoke before giving him a confused look. "Incident?"

"You took a very bad beating in your battle with the tatari-gami, my friend. But you were the one who defeated it. You saved the entire village, and Kaya especially."

Dante shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. You must have made some mistake-"

He suddenly stopped, nearly dropping the cigarette out of his hand. It all came flooding back to him…coming across the trail of black slime that had smelled so awful…gazing at the breathtaking sight of the village only to be interrupted by the most vile creature he had ever seen…chasing after it on a giant red elk…sweeping a fallen young girl off the ground out of the way of the monster…fighting against the creature, armed with only his shotgun…being struck with one of the many limbs the creature had…the pain that had come to his arm had been so horrible…

"Holy shit" he suddenly said, a hint of fear in his voice.

Ashitaka watched as Dante looked at his right arm, which had been wrapped in bandages, all the way up to the shoulder. "Is everything all right, friend?"

Dante let his arm down before taking another puff from his Marlboro. "Yeah…I'm fine. Is she all right?"

"Who?"

"Your sister."

"Her ankle has been twisted, but the swelling has gone down. She'll be back on her feet soon enough."

"What about the old guy in the watchtower?"

Ashitaka looked up in surprise, but answered nonetheless. "He sustained injuries as well, but he'll be all right. I assume you two have met?"

"A bit. Hey, I wanted to ask you something else."

"Yes?"

"I'm confused…I just want to know who you people are…and why you're living here of all places…"

"My people have lived here for over six hundred years. Ever since the shogun drove us out of our land."

Dante's mouth hung open in a look of surprise. "Six hundred years? Here?"

"Yes. We are the Emishi."

"Oh," Dante said, still confused.

"It has been six hundred years since our people fought against the emperor and his shogun. Most of us were killed, and those of us that survived retreated to these lands. We've been living here ever since."

Dante couldn't believe what he was hearing. A group of Japanese living in Vietnam for five hundred years? Was what he was hearing correct?

"That doesn't make sense" he said all of a sudden. Ashitaka turned his head back to him.

"What doesn't, friend?"

"How could you all have been living down here for six hundred years? Why would the shogun of 14th Century Japan banish a clan of Japanese across the sea to Indochina of all places? How could a people like you even survive down here for that long? I mean, that would mean you would've had to deal with the Chinese, and the long French occupation, not to mention the war! I'm surprised that you're still speaking Japanese!"

The young Emishi stared blankly at his guest, thinking of how to respond. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean. My people never crossed any sea to be here."

Dante shook his head. "Then how'd you get- wait a minute…you said you were the Emishi?"

Ashitaka, surprised at the fast change of pace, nodded.

I remember hearing that story one time, he thought to himself. "As in the old clan that was wiped out over eleven hundred years ago?"

Ashitaka did not know why the outlander was jumping to such conclusions about the history of his people that he did not understand. He had never heard of a place called 'Indochina', and as for his claim of his people crossing the sea…

Then, all of a sudden, it hit him. The Oracle's words…the boy was from-

"Of course" the prince said to himself. That meant that their guest might not have been in the same place before he traveled the time stream. "How could I have forgotten?"

"What'd you say?"

Ashitaka turned back to the soldier. "It's all right. I just remembered something; why we've had a little problem discussing history."

Dante looked at him with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I think everything will be answered soon enough. But I will let you know this now: you are on the island of Honshu."

Dante's mouth hung open in shock. "Say that again?"

Ashitaka looked confused for a moment before repeating himself. "You are in the mountains of northeastern Honshu. This is our home."

"Honshu…you mean Japan?"

"Yes."

Dante continued to stare at the young Emishi for a moment before breaking out of his trance. "That can't be."

"I'm afraid it is. But I assure you that you don't have to worry-"

"Hold the phone! I don't understand any of this. How could I be in Vietnam one day, and then in Japan the next? I don't remember my flight ever getting farther than a few hundred feet from the Bien Hoa air base! What do you know about any of this?"

Before Ashitaka could answer, one of the guards on duty appeared beside the hut. "Prince Ashitaka" he said, bowing as he approached the young man.

Dante stifled himself for a moment. Prince?

"Yes, Kei?"

"The Oracle wishes to see the outlander immediately. It's of dire importance. And she wishes for you to be there as well."

Ashitaka glanced back at Dante, who was staring at them while holding his cigarette. He then stood up with Kei. "Very well." He turned to his guest. "Dante, if you would please follow me. There is someone very important in our village who wishes to speak to you."

Dante sighed, and stood up before taking one last puff, throwing down the cig, and extinguishing it on the ground with his foot. "Lead the way."

Dante pushed the cloth door aside to reveal the dark, dimly lit Emishi shrine. Only candles lit the entire room, and he couldn't tell how many people were in the place until he got inside. Once Ashitaka stepped inside and closed the entrance behind him, however, the he was able to make out at least ten other men, all sitting on the left side of the room; their ages appeared to range from forty to eighty, and they were no doubt the high-ranking elders of the clan. In the back center of the room, sitting before a small setting of stones and other objects, was an old woman of calm appearance.

All sets of eyes were on Dante as he walked into the room. He had put his fatigue back on, and was now in full infantry uniform, minus his helmet. This drew much curiosity from the men. Some were observing him calmly, and a few even had a slight look of disapproval in their eyes. Nearly all of them, though, were cautious in one way or another.

"Stop" a voice suddenly said. Dante immediately stopped in his tracks, and found the source of the voice. The old woman raised her head, smiling at the soldier. "Sit down, stranger, and state your name to us. We must be able to address each other before we talk."

Dante paused for a moment before sitting down cross-legged, directly across from the old woman, about six feet away. Ashitaka sat down on his left. Dante was about to say his name, but hesitated for a second. 'McManus' wouldn't sound too good in a Japanese sense. He kept thinking of what to do, until it hit him. He could easily use the name of the family that had adopted him. It would lower the amount of suspicion he would arouse.

"Kurosaka Dante" he said.

The Oracle continued to smile as she responded. "We welcome you, Dante. And now you must be introduced to the rest of us. Ashitaka you already know." She gestured to the prince beside Dante, and they exchanged glances again.

"And I believe you and Jii-san have met as well." She gestured to the man sitting third in the row, behind Izumi and Kohei. Dante squinted his eyes to get a better look, and recognized him as the man from the watchtower. The old man gave him a smile and a small wave. Dante returned with a gesture of his own.

As soon as she had introduced the rest of the men, the Oracle began to explain to Dante what she had explained to the others before. He took the news about the boar god quite well, seeing as how the event had already come back to him. But his jaw dropped when she went on. The one thing he had been itching to find out since he had woken up in the temperate forest had come crashing down on him like the C-130 he had been in. And it definitely wasn't what he was expecting.

For a while, there was nothing but silence, other than the slight sound of the wind outside. The Oracle had finished her speech, and all the other Emishi men were watching the outlander as he sat with a blank look on his face. Ashitaka glanced at the soldier with concern.

"You're kidding me."

He was met with a smile from the old woman. "I'm afraid not, my dear boy. I speak the truth, because the stones speak the truth. They have never deceived us before."

"A few colored rocks are telling you that I've been sent five hundred years into the past, as well as over two thousand miles away from where I was yesterday, and you're expecting me to believe it?"

Ashitaka placed his hand on Dante's shoulder. "Please, friend. I know how much this startles you, but please try to understand. Hii-sama has never spoken a false word to us once."

Dante was slowly returning to the panicked state he had been in a few hours earlier. What he had just heard couldn't be true. Time travel? Ancient Japan? None of it made sense.

"I don't believe any of this."

"Please don't try to deny it, outlander" the old woman calmly said. "You know it to be the truth."

Dante suddenly leaned forward. "Okay, if you're so smart, tell me how I've been sent back; and why!"

She lowered her head, closing her eyes. "I'm afraid that I don't know all the answers, young sir. I was not told why you were brought among us, and I don't know how it was done, either. Do you remember anything happening that might lead to this conclusion?"

Dante sat back, relaxing a bit. "Not really…I mean, we'd boarded a C-130...er, a large aircraft...and it went down before it could fully get off the ground. I wasn't the only one involved in the crash…I mean, it was just a wreck, there wasn't anything strange about it." He really couldn't remember much about the crash. He just remembered the plane going down almost as soon as it had gone up…

"Even if you do remember anything, outlander, you must understand that it does not help you at the moment. For this matter is not of the most importance to you."

Dante's head shot up in surprise. "What are you talking about? If I really am five hundred years in the past, I'm in real trouble! What could be more important to me at the moment?"

The wise woman gestured to his right arm. "Do you see the bandages covering your entire right arm?"

Dante looked down at the white bandages for a second before returning to the Oracle. "What about them?"

"Remove them, and you shall see."

Dante narrowed his eyes at the old woman before looking at his arm again. He then threw a glance at Ashitaka, who nodded. He sighed, took the loose strip of cloth at his wrist, and began to unwrap the white bandages. They fell away quickly, revealing a sight that made his eyes widen in horror. Several botches of a blackish-maroon scarred his right arm, covering parts of the entire circumference. The scars streaked up the arm, traveling all the way up to his shoulder, stopping just below the neck. He kept looking at the marks, his mouth hanging open in utter shock.

"Holy shit. What the…how…"

He looked up to see Ashitaka staring at them as well. The young prince then turned to the Oracle. "What are these marks, Hii-sama?"

The Oracle, however, didn't answer her prince. She instead looked head on at Dante.

"My young man from out of time" she said calmly, "are you prepared to gaze at what fate the stones have foreseen for you?"

The red-haired youth looked from her to Ashitaka, then back to his scars before letting out a long sigh. "Do I have a choice?"

"Very well" she said. "You have been cursed."

His eyes shot up. "Cursed?"

"Yes. The scars you now carry are remnants of the curse that the tatari-gami carried before he passed into the next life. You are now carrying his curse. As time progresses, the poisons that saturate the scars will spread from your arm to the rest of your body. It will consume your flesh and bones until there is nothing left of you. It will then kill you, and possess your soul. You will become a demon, carrying on the curse that has already destroyed one life, enabling it to destroy several others."

Dante kept a straight face despite the fear and panic that was building up inside of him. He looked at his arm again, and sighed.

Jii-san, who had been quiet for so long, suddenly spoke up, raising himself up with a wooden support in order to make himself be heard. "Hii-sama! Is there nothing we can do to help this young man?"

Ashitaka took his chance to speak up as well. "Dante received those marks defending Kaya and the others. It's because of him that most of us are still alive today!"

"Are we but to sit here and watch him die?" Jii-san added.

Dante looked from the old man to Ashitaka, and then back again as they exclaimed their concern. He was about to respond when the Oracle continued.

"You cannot alter your fate, young sir," she said, keeping her focus on Dante. "You can, however, rise to meet it if you choose." Her hand retreated into the folds of one of the large sleeves of her kimono, and produced a small, jagged piece of rock, dropping it on the cloth where her stones rested.

Dante looked down at the small object. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"This is a ball of solid iron. It was found inside the rotted body of the boar demon. It what tore into him, rotted his flesh, and shattered his ribs. This is the reason he became a demon."

His eyes narrowed as he looked from the Oracle to the ball of iron. "This thing?"

The old woman nodded. "Conflict has befallen the lands of the west, young warrior. According to what the stones have told me, you must travel to the west where the calamity thrives. You must see with eyes unclouded by hate. If you do this, you may be able to find the cure to the curse the tatari-gami has placed upon you."

Dante stood up, and walked over to where the wise woman sat. He crouched down and picked up the small iron ball. After glancing at it one more time, he shoved it into the pocket of his fatigue before starting to walk away. He stopped, and turned to face the Oracle. "You want me to journey out there…to Japan how it was five hundred years before I knew it…where I'm not likely to last even if I know what I'm doing, which I don't-"

"Dante-san" the old woman said as she held up her hand to silence him. "I have one more thing to say."

"All right."

"If you complete your journey, as the stones have said, it is possible for you to return to the time from which you came. I cannot tell you how this is possible, nor can I ask you to partake in it. Whether or not you choose to meet your fate is your decision." She lowered her head, closing her eyes once again. "I merely see things as they are; I don't force things to happen the way they do."

The red-haired youth thought to himself about what she had said. He knew he couldn't stay in the village: if what she had said was true, he was now a danger to everyone around him, thanks to the disease, or 'curse' that he now carried. He sighed, walking back towards the exit. "I can't take this much thought. I need to get some air."

He walked to the exit, but not before stopping to give Ashitaka a pat on the back, and uttering a quick "Thanks." Seconds later, he disappeared behind the cloth door, where the people inside could hear him descending the ladder.

As all the other men began to discuss the matter amongst themselves, Ashitaka moved closer to the Oracle. "Hii-sama, I have a request."

"Very well, young prince."

The Emishi teen took a deep breath, and bowed as he spoke. "I want to accompany Dante on his journey to the west. I feel I owe him my life for saving Kaya, as well as the rest of our people."

The Oracle lowered her head as well. "I was expecting for you to do this, Ashitaka. I can only hope, though, that you know what this means."

Ashitaka remained in his bowing position as he responded. "I do." He then sat up to face the wise woman once again. "I fully understand the consequences and responsibilities of my actions, Hii-sama. But I can honestly say I am willing to face it all."

"No matter how much I may disapprove of this decision, my prince, I cannot choose for you. It is your own choice; and, if this is what you want, then so be it. It is up to you and the outlander now."

The Emishi youth nodded, and bowed one more time before standing up. "Good night, wise woman. I must go to tell Dante of my plans. I daresay that he will need help in getting prepared tomorrow." And with that, he walked to the entrance, and descended the ladder. The Oracle watched him go; but, despite what had just happened, a smile remained on her face.

Ashitaka was walking through the village, about to head back to the hut where Dante had stayed. As he walked, he thought to himself.

This means that I'll never see my people again. Kaya…Jii-san…and the others. Everyone. Still, I can't let it get to me. I owe this man my life, and I intend to pay him back to the fullest.

All of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks at the sound of something strange. There was a sound in the air; a sound he had never heard before. It was similar to the call of a wild raptor, but had a softer feeling to it. It was almost…musical. Yes, it was music. There was no doubt about it.

He kept turning until he pinpointed the source of the strange music. It was coming from a small spot in the woods outside the village. He walked through the woods until he spotted Dante: sitting on top of a small boulder, his back to the prince, and holding something to his face, which was resonating with the sound of the music.

Ashitaka walked closer, and Dante heard his footsteps. He immediately stopped playing his harmonica, and turned around to see the Emishi youth. He went slightly red before pocketing the small instrument.

"I'm sorry" he said quickly, "I didn't mean to disturb any of you."

"It's all right," the prince said calmly. "I don't mind at all. In fact, I was intrigued by the music you were making. What was that thing you were using?"

Dante hesitated before slowly pulling out his harmonica again. "Oh, it's nothing…just a cheap little piece that'll let you play a tune or two…I got it as a gift."

Ashitaka leaned in forward to get a better look at the instrument. "I see…that's quite amazing. This only makes me wonder more about your time and what it will bring."

"Don't worry about it. It's not that great." He put the harmonica away, and turned back to Ashitaka. "What is it you came to me for?"

The youth stood back up, and looked back at Dante. "I wanted to ask you to allow me to accompany you on your journey to the west. I feel I owe it to you for all you have done for my people. I hope you'll understand."

Dante stood in his place on the rock, looking back at Ashitaka, all the while going over what the young royal Emishi had just said. "You want to come with me?"

"There is nothing I would rather do. I understand the consequences, and I am still prepared to-"

"I don't think you do."

Ashitaka was cut off. "What?"

"I can't let you come with me."

"Why is that, friend?"

Dante sighed before continuing. "Because its better for you to stay with your own people. Look, I don't need you. Your people do. If I hadn't been there yesterday with the demon, the people still would have had a chance. You were there. But if you hadn't been there, there's no telling what would have happened." He stopped to catch his breath. "Face it: no matter how much you think you owe me, you owe your own people a lot more. They depend on you, and it would be wrong for you to leave them forever because of me."

Ashitaka stood in silence for a few seconds before slowly nodding his head. "I understand, friend. And I will abide."

Dante smiled as he stood up off the rock. "It's nice of you to offer, though. I'm probably gonna have some trouble getting around. At least I've got a compass, though."

Ashitaka's head perked up. "Compass?"

"Nothing. Just a device to tell you which way you're going."

"Oh. I see."

Dante got up early the next morning to pack and say his goodbyes. Ashitaka and the others had really made an effort to help him prepare for his long journey. Kaya had practically forced him to take a bath in the hot water she had prepared. Being your average grunt, Dante had not bathed properly in over a week. In the years since his childhood, he had forgotten the importance of hygiene in Japan, and was surprised to see that it went back this far. The hot bath had felt good, though.

As for packing, Jii-san had given him a few supplies, including an unused rice dish, a set of hashi, and a supply of rice and smoked meat that would last him a few weeks. He even gave Dante a small sack of golden pebbles for him to use as currency. Dante had been quite shocked to see how they handled gold.

After saying his goodbyes to Jii-san, he loaded up with all his equipment and supplies, and walked through the village pathways. Not many people were up in this early hour, but the few that were had gotten up to watch him leave. None of them came to bid him farewell, though, like Jii-san, Ashitaka and Kaya did.

When he reached the entrance to the village, he saw both Ashitaka and Kaya waiting for him. He stopped to meet them.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"We wanted to say a final goodbye" Ashitaka replied. "Just to show our unending appreciation."

Dante returned his smile. "Thanks. It's nice to have someone say goodbye."

"Are you sure you'll be all right traveling like this?"

"Don't worry. I was trained for months to live like this. And I've been trekking through lands much worse than anyplace around here. Here, it's a lot more comfortable. It's not sweltering like it is in Nam. Trust me, I'll be fine." He looked down at Kaya, who was still being supported by her crutch.

"I just wanna thank you for taking care of me while I was out."

Kaya bowed to the red-haired soldier. "It was my absolute pleasure; the least I could do for you after saving my life."

"I can't thank you enough either" the elder Emishi said, drawing Dante's attention back to him. "I'll always remember you, Dante. And I think the rest of our people will one day come to appreciate what you've done for them."

Dante nodded, and swung his pack over his shoulder. He felt he would really miss these people. They had shown him the best time he had had in months, even for s short time. He patted both teens on the shoulder, waved goodbye, and began to walk down the path leading away from the village. After a few feet, he looked back at them.

"Thank you" he said, "and goodbye."

Ashitaka watched him go, until he finally disappeared into the forest. Farewell, friend. May the world thrive from your example.

And we're done. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry to all you Ashitaka fans, though. And sorry if you thought for a second that he would be in the rest of the fic. Still, it's how the story goes, and I personally was never a huge fan of his character anyway. I hope you'll all continue to read.

Well, read on, and review, please. Thanks to all those that have. Happy trails.

Music for Chapter 6:

The Grand Duel by Louis Bacalov (Kill Bill Soundtrack)
Harmonica Blues (Cowboy Bebop)
Journey to the West by Jo Hisaishi