Hope everyone's having a good vacation. Once again, I got sidetracked by several events and personal problems, but I updated, didn't I? Some of you have been leaving reviews that seem a bit…well, frustrated. I'm sorry I couldn't update for a while, but you need to relax. You have other things in your life than this fanfiction (at least I hope you do…).

Anyway, without further ado, enjoy.

Being Alive

Chapter 13

"More awe-inspiring than the most beautiful princess" the youth recited to himself, remembering the words of lord Takeda as he sat on a fallen log that lay near the river. "Lovelier than the loveliest sakura flower…sharper than the sharpest of all blades…the Mononoke-Hime…" Listening to himself, he nearly laughed, pulling out his pack of cigarettes again. "Christ, how do I remember things like that? I was half-drunk when he told me that story." Taking a cig in his mouth, he drew out his lighter, and lit his second smoke of the day; the second of what would obviously be many. "Still, there was no mistaking those wolves…and that girl…" He could not stop thinking about the girl; her wild, unkempt yet alluring face had been calm one moment, and had been staring him down with the most horrible glare the next. The thought of her both lifted his spirits and sent chills down his spine.

"Just be glad you're still alive, Dante," he quipped, exhaling another tiny cloud of nicotine. "You almost became breakfast for the wolf pack." Realizing what he had just said, images of the girl he had imagined earlier resurfaced in his mind. Shit, he thought, shuddering at the thought of being devoured by the likes of the savage wolf girl. She couldn't really be eating humans, could she?

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" At the sudden sound of a horrified scream, the youth's head flew up in surprise, and he nearly swallowed the cig.

"HELP!" Dante turned his head in the general direction – it was coming from where he had left the men. "HELP! SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP ME!"

Snatching up his 12-guage, he leapt to his feet, and dashed across the riverbank, leaping over boulders as he made his way to the spot. When the men came into view, he raised his weapon up, keeping an eye out for the wolves, or any other beast that might have appeared.

For a second, he saw who was up and moving – it was the man with the bonier complexion, and he was desperately trying to crawl away from something. Stopping in his tracks, he quickly but calmly scanned the area, holding the shotgun at the ready. "What's wrong?" he asked the man loudly. "Where is it?"

"There! Right there! It's one of the demons!" Looking to the area where the scrawny man was pointing, the youth searched for any signs of danger. After a few seconds of listening for any noise, he slowly lowered his weapon, and turned to face the man.

"What the hell's your problem? There's nothing there!"

The man, who was on his rear and trying to back away using his injured legs, looked from the youth to the rock, fear still plenty apparent in his eyes.

Shaking his head, Dante inhaled and exhaled another cloud of nicotine. "I don't know what your problem is pal, but-"

A sudden clicking sound in the very direction he had just been looking brought this attention right back, as well as frightened the injured man once again. Holding his weapon up again, he moved closer to the rock at which the man had been pointing. When he got a closer look, he nearly dropped the gun.

Sitting on the rock was one of the strangest and most unworldly creatures he had ever laid eyes on: it was small, not even a foot high, and had a stocky little body like a bad drawing. Its head appeared too large for its body, with large dark spots for what appeared to be the eyes and mouth. And, as he took a closer look, the head tilted back in one direction, then released in a snap, wobbling back and forth with the familiar clicking sound.

The scrawny man attempted to back even further away from the tiny creature, until he found himself backed up against the foreigner's leg, causing him to yelp in shock. Dante kneeled down, moving over the man's shoulder.

"Calm down, pal. This thing looks pretty harmless to me. You've got nothing to be so worked up over."

"Have you lost your mind, stranger?" the injured man retorted. "Have you never seen a kodama? They're the spirits of this very forest!"

"A kodama?" the youth inquired, taking another look at the creature. Of course, he thought, remembering tales he had heard in his youth. The tree spirits; I remember the stories…I just don't remember them being like this. "In that case, bud, there's definitely nothing to worry about. It's not gonna hurt you."

"But they'll bring their master to kill us instead!" he quipped, keeping his shaky eye on the tree spirit.

Looking from the kodama to the man, Dante gave thought to the man's words. "What do you mean, 'master'? Are you talking about those wolves that were here earlier?"

"No, I mean something much worse!" he said, sounding more and more paranoid with every breath he took. "A forest spirit in the form of a monstrous deer, one that they say takes the face of a human, and transforms into an even bigger monstrosity at night!"

Just as he was finishing his little description, the kodama stood up from its seated position, took a step across the rock, and suddenly vanished into the thin air. At this, the scrawny man gasped in horror.

"It's gone! Quick, they could be- Aaahhh!"

Looking to his right, Dante saw that a number of kodama had appeared in the bush, some sitting on rocks while others moved around on the ground, or even hung from branches. Redirecting his eyes to the previous spot, he saw that a few more had appeared in the same place the first had been earlier.

The man stumbled as he tried desperately to stand up, falling onto his injured arm before letting out a cry of pain and grasping the bandaged arm. He felt a hand come on his shoulder, and looked up to see the odd-looking stranger.

"Wh-what are you go-going to do to me?"

"Nothing, pal. Just calm down, and try to stay still. I did a lot of work patching you up, and I don't feel like doing it again. So stay put."

The man lowered his arm, and remained still. "Y-yes sir."

Walking over to the other injured man, Dante checked to see if he was still breathing healthily. "Forget about these little critters. I think they've taken a liking to us. Now, tell me your name."

"W-what?" the scrawny man peeped, turning his attention away from the kodama.

Sighing angrily, Dante took the cig out of his mouth before responding. "Your name, pal!"

"Oh, uh…Koroku, sir. My name is Koroku."

"All right" the youth said, still looking over the unconscious man in orange. "Tell me this, Koroku: just where around here do you live?"

"In a town, sir, not too far from here. It's on the other side of this forest."

Taking a look in the direction of the woods, Dante sighed. "Okay. Looks like we're gonna have to cross through the forest to get there in time."

Upon hearing this, Koroku looked at the youth in shock, shaking his head. "Wait, sir, you don't surely mean that! That forest is the tramping ground for the deadliest of gods and demons. There's a much safer path around the river!"

Shaking his head, Dante responded, "No good. This guy's wounds are bad enough already. We need to take the shortest route if he's gonna have any chance at all. Any longer than a few hours, and your friend here won't make it."

"But sir, how do you plan on getting us both home? Neither of us can walk, and you can't carry both of us!" he said, just as another kodama appeared right on his shoulder, garnering an immediate reaction. "Yaah!"

"I'm aware of that," the youth said, standing up. Unfortunately, Dante hadn't planned for this little contingency, and, stepping further towards the woods, desperately began to think of a way to carry both the men. That was when he heard the cry.

Or, rather, it was a low, mooing sound, distinct of a farm animal. Taking another step into the woods, he cleared a patch of shrubbery, and found the source of the sound: a large, black oxen. Its horns were caught in some vines growing from the shrubs, and it looked rather battered, despite its energy at attempting to escape from its binds.

Smiling, the youth looked back to the river, and called "Hey, pal! I think I just found your ticket outta' here!"

"What was that, sir?" the ox-driver called back, scooting away from another group of the tiny tree spirits.

Chuckling, the soldier reached forward, and began to untangle the oxen's horns. As he was doing this, one of the little green creatures appeared on the animal's back, and took a few tiny steps toward him. Temporarily stopping his hands, Dante thought of something. Taking a gulp, he said, "Hey, pal…" looking at the kodama as it stared at him. "You wouldn't happen to know the way around this place, would you?"

The creature just moved closer. "Okay", the youth said, scratching the back of his head. "Then how about showing us the way? My friends here are really in a pinch, and, well, it's important they get back home real soon…" He never would have seen himself doing this before, but being in the presence of these tiny tree spirits had changed everything.

Without another moment, the creature turned around, and suddenly disappeared. Looking in surprise from the back of the oxen, he saw the kodama reappear on the ground, where it was joined by several other tree spirits, and began making it's way through the woods. Smiling to himself, Dante turned to go back to the injured men. "I hope that's a 'yes.'"

Taking another hard, painful step up the root-laden path, Dante breathed in heavily as he carried the injured man in orange on his back. Koroku, the other man, was riding the oxen, which seemed to have a fixation on following the kodama, which, were literally gathering in the hundreds as the newcomers slowly paced through the woods. The tree spirits were everywhere, on the ground, appearing in the trees and shrubs around them, and some even on the oxen's back once again, much to Koroku's displeasure. A whole group of them had gathered near the soldier and his passenger, easily keeping up with the slow pace. And, echoing throughout the forest was that very familiar rattle of the creature's heads as they rocked back and forth like miniature bobble heads.

Lord Almighty, he thought, I don't even wanna know how many of these things there are in this forest…there have to at least be thousands alone right here! Feeling the weight, his attention turned back to the man he carried on his back. Being a training camp graduate, as well as an experienced fighter, Dante had more than a fair amount of physical strength about him. Still, he knew what it was like to endure the weight of another man on his shoulders for a considerable amount of time. But this man was even heavier than Gorobei had been. Luckily, he had been able to hang his equipment over the ox with his other guest, which allowed him to use every available ounce of his physical strength for the man on his back. Also by luck, he'd tied his red bandana around his head, which managed to absorb a fair amount of sweat. By now, though, it was soaked, and starting to leak down his face.

"Excuse me, young sir?" Koroku called out from his ride on the ox. "I really insist that we turn around and take the trail up the river. It's very important that you listen!"

Grunting, the soldier replied, "I know, Koroku. You've suggested that about three times already. And I've told you 'no' each time. So don't bother asking again, cause' it ain't gonna happen." Sweat continued to pour down his face.

"Did I mention, young sir, that no one's ever walked out of these woods alive?" he continued, undeterred by the youth's words.

"You and about ten others" he replied bitterly. "And I'm sick of hearing it. So, unless you see some horrifying beast actually chasing us, I suggest you shut it, pal. And, if you have time, try to grow a backbone."

The ox-driver lowered his head. "You sound just like my wife, sir."

The grunt chuckled. "Thanks. Maybe she can fill me in on what's going on when we get there." Turning back to the path, if you could even call it a path anymore, Dante began to haul the injured man up the now-steeper hill. He watched as several kodama made their way in between his feet and around his legs. One in particular was leading the pack, moving as though it knew the humans were following it.

Taking a deep breath, Dante called out to the creature. "Hey, shortstop…tell me you're actually leading us out of the woods, and not just getting us deeper and deeper in."

The creature responded by turning its head back to face the youth before simply rattling, and continuing on its way.

"Hey, what was that?" the soldier asked sarcastically. "Didn't catch that. Come back and say it again." Sighing, he grudgingly moved on. After a particularly hard step, he felt the weight on his back hit a damage point. Falling to one knee, he began to hyperventilate like crazy, all the while soaking the ground below him with sweat. When the sweat finally leaked out of his eyes enough for him to see, he looked to the left to see a few kodama mimicking his very action by carrying fellow kodama on their backs, some even with pained expressions on their faces. Smiling, the youth hoisted himself back onto his feet.

"Real fuckin' cute. I oughta' squish you guys."

After several more drudging minutes, the majority of kodama began to make their way up a rather enormous tree, which arched the opening to a sight that left the youth breathless.

As he stepped out from behind the last batch of green foliage, Dante gazed at the sight in front of him: surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds, of giant trees with roots that stretched to one another, were a large set of sparkling clear water pools that rivaled the size of lakes. Several trees grew directly out of the pools, giving it another exotic feel. Still gazing as he walked towards the nearest shore, he didn't notice his feet sinking slightly into the thick moss growing on the shores. Looking down at the footprint he had made, he rose his head back up, took in a deep breath of air, and exhaled peacefully. "Unbelievable" he said to himself. "And I thought the other places were peaceful…"

Deciding this was more than perfect for a rest stop, he stepped over to the nearest tree, which sported roots that rivaled the thickness of oil drums. Laying the injured man down on his back, he stepped up to the approaching ox and its passenger, grabbing his equipment. Kneeling down to the injured man once again, he turned to Koroku as he held his place on the ox. "Okay, pal," he said, pulling out a small blanket and his canteen, "time for some R&R."

The ox-driver replied with a confused look. "What and what, sir?"

Chuckling, the youth smiled. "Forget it. Just take the chance to rest. We're gonna be movin' again real soon" he continued as he used the blanket to cushion the man's head. Looking closer, he saw that some of the bandages he'd applied were beginning to deteriorate, and some of the wounds were remaining open.

"Shit," he said, reaching for his First Aid kit, "this guy's wounds aren't getting much better. If we don't get him some help soon, he's fucked." Pulling off his bandana, he began to squeeze the sweat out of it before turning back to the ox-driver. "How much closer do you think the place is?"

"I don't know, sir. I've never been through this forest before."

Sighing, Dante snapped his bandana in his hand before tying it back around his head. He then finished up with the man in orange, and went sit against one of the giant roots. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his pack of Marlboros, which, he noticed, was running quite thin. Oh, shit, he thought, staring into the near-empty red-and-white pack. After these two cigs, I've only got one pack left. He had cut down on smoking over the last month in order to make them last longer, but, like all cigs, they slowly disappeared as his cravings increased. Taking one in his mouth, he pulled out his lighter, and flipped it open. Don't know how I'm gonna get by without 'em, he thought, drawing a flame and lighting the stick before inhaling. Taking the cig out of his mouth, he exhaled, laying his head back against the root, relaxing the pain from the long trip away.

"Uh, excuse me, young sir-"

"Dante" the youth immediately interrupted.

Flustered, the man spoke up again. "Excuse me, sir?"

Turning back to him, he replied, "Dante. My name is Dante. Let's have no more of this sir/young sir crap."

"All right,, er…Dante. I just wanted to know, and I hope you don't mind me asking- where you're from?"

Blowing a cloud of nicotine into the air above him, the youth turned to face the ox-driver. "Where I'm from?"

"Yes, sir. I couldn't help but notice, but you're clearly not of these parts. I mean, one look at the clothing you wear, the fact that you have skin whiter than a sheet, and all of these strange things you're carrying, I couldn't imagine where you'd come from. I've never seen anything of the sort in this area, and I've been around this part of the country quite a bit."

Dante had expected the question, and, inhaling another puff, gave his usual answer. "You're right," he said, exhaling again. "I'm not from around here. Let's just say I've come from far away. And by far away, I mean I'm not even from this country."

"That's amazing sir!" the man exclaimed, still nursing his arm. "Just how did you get to our part of the world? What exactly are you doing in these lands?"

Slowly sitting up, Dante sighed. "You always ask this many questions, Koroku?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I just wanted to know."

"I'll tell ya' some other time" the youth said, reaching for his canteen. Standing up, he began to make his way to the nearest pool. As he got closer, he just barely noticed an odd shape on the ground. Looking down, he saw something that intrigued and worried him: two large paw prints, likely belonging to a wolf, and a genuine footprint, smaller than his, obviously belonging to a human. Holy Christ, he thought, they must live here. That means they could be watching us right now, for all I know. Looking back up, turned his head in both directions to scope out the area. While he didn't see anything, he couldn't help but get the feeling something was wrong.

Walking back over to his equipment, he put his canteen down. I'd better make sure of it. Grabbing the tarp that held his guns, he unwrapped it to reveal his 12-guage and M-16. Picking up the rifle, he looked at the ox-driver, who was still sitting atop the now-resting ox. "Koroku."

"Yes, sir?" the man replied.

"I'm gonna take a small trek around this area" he continued, checking the magazine. "I have to scope out any problems, and I need you to watch the fort."

Taking on a frightened face, Koroku exclaimed "Sir, what do you mean? You can't actually leave us alone here!"

"It'll just be for a second, pal. You'll be fine."

"But Dante, you don't understand! This is a realm belonging to gods and demons! If we're alone, they'll come after us for sure!"

Standing up and slinging the rifle over his shoulder, he shook his head. "Look, you don't have to worry. I'm going out there to make sure there isn't anything out there. Just be patient, and I'll be right back." He moved to leave when Koroku grabbed his arm.

"Wait, sir! Please reconsider!"

Sighing angrily, Dante tried to think of a quick solution. Why the hell not? he thought, running back over to grab his shotgun and a box of cartridges from his pack. Walking up to the ox-driver, he held up the weapon.

"Now," he said, exhaling with the cig in his mouth, "I know you've never seen one of these before-"

"Oh, but I have, sir!"

Raising an eye in shock, Dante looked at him with confusion. "Say what?"

Faltering, Koroku took a closer look at the weapon. "Well- maybe not exactly like that," he corrected himself, noting the obviously different features on the firearm, "but I've seen ones like it. It's a gun, right?"

Unable to answer right away, the youth managed to stammer a response. "Y-yeah, it is. But what were you saying?"

"I'm saying I've worked with guns before, sir. The place where I live and work produces them."

Nearly dropping the gun in shock, Dante could only stare for a few seconds before reaching into his pocket, desperately trying to find the iron ball he kept with him. "Your place doesn't happen to produce iron, does it, Koroku?"

"Yes, sir, that's our main source of production."

Digging out the iron ball, he held it in front of the man. "And this? You make things like this?"

Taking a closer look, the ox-driver identified the piece. "We definitely produce those. Mostly for the guns we use, sir. In fact, we make hundreds of those things every day."

Breathing deeply before lowering the hand holding the ball, Dante lowered his gaze, thinking to himself for a moment. Looking back at Koroku, he asked one final question. "You work at a place called Tataraba, am I right?"

Smiling, the ox-driver replied "You're absolutely right, sir!"

Nodding his head, Dante let every last bit of the past minute sink in. Talk about dropping a fucking bombshell, he thought. Not only does this place exist, but I find it on my first day in this place. Maybe things really are starting to look up. Pocketing the iron ball, he picked up his 12-guage again.

"I'll have to talk to you more about that later, " he said. "But now, I need to show you something." Holding up the weapon, he began his lecture. "This is a gun. But it's a little different from the ones you've seen…"

Shoving one final shell into the loading chamber, he flipped the gun over, and pumped the slide before handing it to Koroku. "That's how you load it. Now, firing is plenty simple: just squeeze the trigger here, and, to load in another round, pump it again, and you're ready to fire again. Nothing to it."

Looking down at the weapon in his hands, Koroku marveled at it. "That's amazing, sir! You mean to tell me you can fire off several rounds without needing to reload? I've never heard of such a weapon!"

Smiling lightly, the youth replied, "Of course you haven't. But you can still use it."

"Do they make these where you come from, Dante?"

Taking a small pause to gather his thoughts, he replied, "Yeah, they do."

"Unbelievable, sir! Your homeland must be generations ahead of ours!"

"Well, kind of" Dante said, chuckling under his breath. "But try not to think about that too much. Just focus on your job."

Glancing at the rifle on the soldier's back, the man piped up again. "What about that one, sir? Is that a gun as well?"

Stopping again, he answered, "Yeah, it is. But listen, we can talk about this later. I'm gonna go scope the place for any dangers, okay?" He stood up, and turned to leave.

"B-but sir!"

Sighing in frustration, he turned back around to the ox-driver. "What is it now?"

Stammering to find an explanation, he said, "Well, I'm…I'm not really a good shot. What if I miss?"

Letting out a tiny laugh, Dante shook his head. "You won't miss. It's not easy to miss with that gun. Plus, it's not likely you'll have to use it. Just be alert, okay? Shoot anything that moves." He turned to leave once again.

"But what if it's you, sir?"

Turning his head back to glance at the Japanese man, the youth smiled. "You won't see me coming." And, with that, he made off into the woods.

Clutching his rifle, Dante walked along the long, moss-covered shore of the crystal pools, scoping every inch for more wolf or human tracks. He had passed a few more several steps back, but they had since ceased. As he looked, he couldn't help but notice the tracks he was leaving.

Shit, he thought. Even if they're not here now, they'll know I was here pretty soon. Giving one last look around the area, he decided things were okay. Looks like everything's fine for now. And, swinging his rifle over his shoulder, he turned to the clear pool, knelt down, reached his hand in, and splashed his face with the clear, sparkling water.

That's it, he thought gleefully. Realizing he'd left his canteen back at the campsite, he filled up his hand with water, and brought it to his mouth. Sipping the water all the way down, he left out a sigh of happiness. Never had water this refreshing before. And, feeling refreshed, he began to hum a tune before going down to splash water on his face.

"…Satisfaction, cause I try…an' I try…an' I try…an' I try, I can't get no… As he lowered himself for another sip, he suddenly stopped with his hand halfway up. Looking to his right, he saw the sunlight shining from in between several thick trees. And, for a split second, he thought he saw a shadow moving in the sunlight.

Nah, he thought, shaking his head. Reaching his hand back down into the water, he scooped up another handful. "When I'm watchin' my TV, an' a man comes on an' tells me…how white my shirts could be…but that he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke…the same cigarettes as me…I can't get no…oh,, no, no, no…hey, hey, hey…that's what I say-"

All of a sudden, his right arm began to act up, shaking the water out of his hand. What the fuck? he thought, feeling the slight pain run through his arm. After a few seconds, he shook his head again, and, somewhat cautiously, began to lower his hand back into the water.

Sure enough, it happened again. This time, he lost his balance, his right arm slipping into the water, stopping when it hit the bottom. The pain was stronger this time.

Jesus Christ!, he thought, yanking his arm out of the pool before grasping it with his left hand. While the pain wasn't excruciating like it had been before, it was still plenty unpleasant. Dammit! What's going on now? It's been so long!

As he tried fruitlessly to calm down his arm, he saw it again – this time, out of the corner of his left eye. Whipping his head around, he saw the last remains of some shadow disappearing behind a tree in the sunlight. As soon as it was gone, the pain subsided.

Letting out a deep breath, he shook his arm up. What the hell was that all about? Looking around, he sighed, and stood up. Guess I should get back.

As he clutched the foreign weapon in his bony hands, Koroku nervously scanned the area around him, sitting on the ground with one leg tucked near his torso. With each passing minute, his breathing seemed to get heavier. Even with the weapon, which he had never seen before, he didn't feel the least bit secure. To him, the silence of the forest was teasing him, ready to unleash its most deadly dangers upon him and his comrade when they least expected. And, as thankful for the outlander as he was, he couldn't help but feel an aura of strangeness surrounding the boy. And it made him all the more cautious.

The ox-driver let out a sudden yip when he felt a hand come down on his shoulder, causing him to juggle the shotgun around in his hands before turning his head around to face the smiling grunt.

"Good job" the youth said, taking the weapon back. "But you still need a bit of work."

"I know sir" he replied, scooting further away from the ox. "I never was good at guard duty…that's why I drive oxen. Sometimes I wonder why my wife even married me…"

Checking over the sleeping guard once again, Dante shook his head. "Seriously, pal, you can't keep doing this. Your wife isn't that bad, is she?"

"Well, gods know I love her, sir, but…you don't know her at all…"

"Sounds like you're too scared to prove you're good enough for her. Look, when we get back, I'm gonna make sure you say something with some backbone."

Koroku bit his lip as Dante made his way back over to the pond to fill up his canteen again. As filled it and emptied it again, his eyes were brought back to the wolf tracks he had seen earlier. Smiling softly, he let his eyes wander up to a small, moss-covered stone in the pond…where he saw another animal track, as a pair of butterflies descended upon it.

Only this one was different. Instead of a wolf-like paw, the track was smaller, straighter, and consisted of three pointed toes. Plus, the crushed moss at the bottom of it looked greener than with the other tracks.

That thing looks fresh… he thought, his eyes slowly moving to the right. As he scanned the rest of the pond, his attention was brought to yet another opening in the forest, where the sun shone through. Gazing at the space, he thought he could see dark figures moving from one end to the other. Squinting his eyes, he tried to make them out, and saw a shape that resembled a deer, or some such creature. The last one, which appeared bigger than the others, suddenly stopped right in the spot of sunlight, and appeared to turn and face the youth's direction. Focusing on the creature, Dante made out two distinct features: an enormous mass of antlers, and a large, unusual body.

His mouth gaping open, Dante forgot entirely about his canteen as he stared with utter shock at the sight far off in front of him. What the hell is that thing? And that was when it returned.

His arm, in a sudden jolt of painful energy, came alive and started thrashing about. Dropping his canteen in the water, he let out a scream of pain, and grasped his arm with his left hand. His arm continued to thrash, as though trying to struggle out of his own grip. Motherfucker!Not again, NOT AGAIN!!! As the pain grew more intense, he ground his teeth together, trying to hold in the next cry of pain.

"Young sir! Dante! What's wrong?" Koroku asked from his resting place, attempting to scoot further up so he could see the outlander.

Feeling another jolt of pain surge through his arm, Dante thrust his right arm deep into the pool, striking the bottom with his fist so hard he felt it strike something sharp. He felt no pain, though, as he pulled it right back up a few inches before punching the pond floor again. He continued to strike the bottom with his fist until he felt the pain begin to subside,

Letting his breath go, he exhaled heavily before hyperventilating for a few breaths. Once the pain had stopped for the most part, he slowly lifted his arm out of the water, noticing that the bandage had begun to slip off at the wrist. He quickly snatched the bandage and wrapped it back around his arm, covering up the ugly maroon mark.

From back where he could see, Koroku hadn't noticed the mark. But he was still visibly disturbed by the outlander's behavior. "Sir? Are you sure you're all right? You were really white as a sheet there for…well, I mean you were even whiter than before…uhh, I mean, wait a minute-"

Sighing in irritation, Dante snatched up his canteen, and filled it again. "Forget about it. I'm fine" he said in a deadpan voice. Taking another deep breath, he stood to his feet, and slowly made his way back to the resting guard.

"Are you sure you're all right, sir?"

"Don't worry about it" he replied, opening the guard's mouth a bit to pour some water into it. Closing his mouth, the guard swallowed, and let out a relaxing breath of air. Letting out a sigh of his own, Dante lowered his face closer. "Don't worry, pal. You're almost home. Just hang in there, and you'll be back in no time."

Struggling to speak, the man slowly and weakly turned to face the youth. "Th…thank you…"

Giving the man another sip, Dante raised his head to look one last time at the spot where he had seen the mysterious creature in the sunlight. Nothing remained. Whatever the hell that thing was, he thought, I don't have a good feeling about it.

After he felt they had rested enough, Dante had loaded up his equipment, helped Koroku back onto the ox, hoisted the injured guard over his back, and continued through the forest with them. Only, not long after he got underway through the woods, he couldn't help but notice a rather strange phenomenon: during the first part of their trek, the man he carried had felt as heavy as an oil drum, and made him feel like he drop from exhaustion. Now, he felt no heavier than as if he were carrying his rifle over his shoulder. If he had to, he felt he could go another fifty miles with this man, even after all their traveling.

I don't get it…why is he so light all of a sudden? What happened back there?

"Dante!"

Turning his head back as he continued to walk, the youth glanced at the ox-driver as he rode the large animal. "What's the problem now, pal?"

"No problem, sir…it's just that, well, my arm, sir! It doesn't hurt!" And, sure enough, he was moving it around as if there were nothing wrong with it.

"Watch it, bud, I'm not fixing your arm up again if you break it even more" the soldier replied.

"No, really! There's no pain at all!" Thrusting his arm into the air, he cried out in triumph. "The Gods have healed it!"

A sudden crack in his arm brought it right back in a painful recoil. "Yow! Looks like I was wrong, it's still broken!"

Half-amused and half-irritated, Dante let out a weak laugh. Jesus Christ…

Soon after, they came to the edge of the woods, and got a bright wave of sunlight as the exited the forest. Ascending a small hill, they came to the top, and looked out at the horizon.

Before Dante could even get a look at the sight in front of him, he heard Koroku let out a delightful exclamation. "Aah! You were right, young sir! We made it back home safely!"

The youth remained speechless. Sitting not a mile in front of him, surrounded by an enormous lake in the valley of a forest-laden mountain range, was a massive set of man-made structures and buildings, all encased within a thick wall of thick logs. The compound of buildings had been built on a large island that rose from the lake. Surrounding the wall were hundreds upon hundreds of long, sharp-ended logs that jutted out of the ground like the spines of a porcupine. The only thing connecting it to the mainland was a small wooden bridge.

Moving his focus deeper into the human compound, Dante began to hear the noise of metal clanging in the distance, as well as notice the thick clouds of black smoke that sprouted from what looked to be the largest structure within the compound. Even from such a distance, the youth could sense the nasty-smelling fumes in his lungs every time he breathed in. After one particularly deep breath, he felt a burning sensation in his throat, and let out a rather heavy cough. Feeling his eyes begin to water, he brought his attention back to the compound. Noticing the structures were built on a higher and lower level of earth, his eyes moved along a train of wooden aqueducts that moved up the mountain. Eyeing the land bordering the compound, he noticed that it bore almost none of the life that flourished in the rest of the mountain: the piece of the mountain had been stripped clean of plant life, and was a murky brown instead of a fresh green. The waters bordering the island bore the same misfortune.

"Mother of God…" was all the young American could think to say. Taking another long look, he finally let out the question that had been raging in his head. "What the hell is this place?"

"This is Tataraba, sir! The Iron Works belonging to Lady Eboshi and our people" Koroku replied, happy as ever. "This is where we mine ore and forge it into iron. Just wait until you see it up close! You won't believe your eyes!"

Dante didn't even hear the last sentence. He was remembering the words he had heard from other men. Gorobei, Jiko, and Takeda…they had all told him of the place, but were never sure themselves…still, it was the one place that could possibly lead him to the truth behind the iron ball, and the curse it had brought upon him. And he had found it. Though, despite having done so, he didn't have a good feeling about the place. For anything that had brought him so much pain and suffering, the place from whence it had come was probably not much better.

So, this is the place, he thought, reaching into one of his pockets, and pulling out his pair of black sunglasses before flipping them open and putting them on. I'm gonna get some answers from this place, one way or another; even if it kills me. And, with that, he began to descend the hill, the ox and his other companion walking alongside him.

Nearing the lake, Dante looked ahead, and saw two men at the foot of the hill. They were both dressed similar to Koroku, and were shoveling piles of ore onto a small wooden boat. Koroku happily let them know he was there.

"Heeeeey! Hey, guys!" he yelled to them, waving his unbroken arm. "Hey, it's me! Koroku, the ox-driver!"

Upon recognizing their companion, the two men dropped their tools, and rushed up to the ox, ignoring Dante and his passenger. "Koroku! It really is you! You're actually alive!"

"Everyone said you were dead! What on earth happened?"

"There's a lot to tell, boys," he replied. "But we're back, and we made it through that horrid forest!"

"You don't know how much you worried your wife" the tall one said. "Hell, it was only a couple hours ago that she finally stopped crying. She's in such a lonely position that a number of the other single men have been acting real nice towards her, if you know what I mean…it's a good thing you showed up just now!"

While the men continued to talk amongst themselves, Dante made his way to the small boat on the bank, which was partially full of sandy black ore. The man on his shoulders was starting to feel heavy again, and he was aching to find an excuse to put him down. Just as he began to kneel down, though, he heard a shout in his direction from the group of men.

"Halt, stranger!" the shorter one said as the two closed in. "Just who are you? We've never seen you before!"

"Hold it, Sano! Don't attack him! This is the man who dragged both of us back here, all the way through that infernal forest. We're both still alive because of him!"

Turning back to glance at their friend, the two men returned their stare to the outlander. "Is this true, stranger?"

"I just told you it was!" the ox-driver replied.

The two men smiled at Dante before moving closer. "Very well" the tall one said, helping the injured man from Dante's back. "You brought back a rifleman as well. I guess we owe you the kindness, then."

"Not to mention going through that forbidden forest!" the shorter one followed up. "Talk about one tough bastard! I bet the eyes behind that thing on your face just terrifying!"

Taking their companions, they all headed for the boat. "Come along, we've got to get these men to rest. Plus, I'm sure Lady Eboshi will want to meet the one who brought our men back."

As he made a nice, clean mark of ink on the small wooden tablet, Gonza concentrated on the kanji in the accounts he was tallying. It had been one hell of a trip back from their deal, and they had paid a price. Now, all he wanted to do was finish the accounts for the trade, and get back to resting up for the next shipment.

A sudden yell from the group of men to his left got him to raise his head. People had been making noise for the past few minutes, and he was finding it very hard to concentrate. Looking to his left, he saw the group of orange-clad riflemen paying attention to one of their ranks.

"It's true, what they said! He's back! And they brought back Hiroshi!"

At this, the men all jumped to their feet, abandoning their food, and rushing towards the southern bank. They were soon followed by other people, all heading in the same direction. Able to take it no longer, he threw down his brush.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you? Stop causing a ruckus while we're tallying the accounts!"

Another man stopped on his way to the crowd, turning to face the body guard. "Koroku and Hiroshi are back! They say some stranger brought them back from the dead!" he shouted before continuing on his way.

Shocked, the tall man could barely respond. "What did you say?"

As the boat pulled up to the edge of the bank just outside the walls of the massive fortress, Dante saw that the whole place was in a complete uproar. A large crowd of men and women had lined up along the bank, backing all the way up the hill from where they had come. They all struggled amongst themselves for a better view. When the boat finally drifted to a stop at the shore, three men immediately ran up to the boat, greeting their fellow ox-driver with a shock.

"Impossible!" one of them said. "I saw the wolf-demon throw you and three other men over the cliff!"

Koroku responded with another grin, clearly happy with his good fortune.

"Did only you two make it back?" the second man asked. He was immediately followed by another, older man, pushing his way through. "Did my son make it back? Please, you have to tell me!"

Koroku's smile disappeared, and he frowned as he looked towards the ground of the bank. "I'm sorry, Koji…but we're the only ones who made it back here."

Nodding silently, the man turned and walked back into the crowd. Dante watched as he made his way to a short, stout woman, and began to speak to her. After a few words, she dropped to her knees, clutching her face in her hands as she began to sob. Her husband, as well as a few other women in the crowd, attempted to comfort her.

Shoving his way through the crowd, Gonza moved to get a view of the commotion. "Move aside!" he said is a low, intimidating voice. Finally getting a look at the scene, his eyes passed the two returned men to the strangely-dressed newcomer, and narrowed his eyes. "Gonza-sama," the man to his right said in a low whisper, "who is that strange character with them?"

"Obviously an outsider" the bodyguard replied.

Stepping onto dry land, the soldier watched as they slowly lifted Koroku out of the boat. As they were helping him out, Dante saw another, larger group of men approach the boat. Only these men were dressed in the same orange tunics the injured man bore. Watching as they gathered to hoist their comrade out of the boat, Dante decided the man had to be part of some guard within the town. As they left, one of the men turned to the youth, and bowed.

"Thank you, stranger" he said before rejoining his comrades.

Dante blinked before returning an unnoticed nod, and looked around at the villagers surrounding him. Never, in all the places he had visited, in all the places where he had received dozens of stares from townspeople, did he feel more uncomfortable than he did now. Maybe it was the fact that he was in the very location that might have been involved in giving him his curse. Either way, they were staring at him deeply, and whispering to each other between stares. Several pointed at his clothing, while some appeared to be pointing at his head, either mystified by his hair or the sunglasses. And, sure enough, plenty of people were giving notice to his equipment back, and the rifle slung over his shoulder.

Koroku finally broke the uncomfortable silence with a shout to the townspeople. "Listen, everyone! This stranger saved both of our lives, and carried the rifleman on his back the whole way! Show him your gratitude!" He let out a yelp of pain as one of the other men accidentally pulled on his arm. "Oww! Watch it, my arm's still broken!"

Hearing these words, an even crazier flurry of whispering began, making the youth all the more uncomfortable. As they whispering continued, a young woman, dressed in a blue kimono and with her hair wrapped in a towel, approached the outlander. "Is that true, young sir?"

Unsure of how to answer, the youth found himself hesitating. "Uhh…well…"

Scoffing, the bodyguard extended his hand, pointing it directly at the stranger. "You! Don't move a muscle! Stay where you are!"

Dante turned his head away from the woman, who trudged back to the crowd, to the source of the fierce call. Walking towards him was a tall, burly man with a shaved head, and dressed in a dark tunic. He was flanked by two men in what seemed like shinobi-style spy clothing. One of them carried a long, tachi-length sword over his shoulder, which Dante guessed belonged to the larger man, since he appeared to have an air of authority about him.

Sure enough, as he approached the youth, the crowd moved aside, making plenty of room for the man and his flanks. Stopping a few feet from the soldier, he cleared his throat, and spoke. "I am Gonza" he said gruffly. "I'm captain of the guard at Tataraba, and personal bodyguard to Lady Eboshi."

Slowly nodding his head, Dante replied, "Glad to hear it."

Scoffing again, he continued. "First, I'll say that I'm very grateful to you for bringing our injured back here to us."

Staring at the man from behind the dark sunglasses, Dante forced a half-smile. "Glad I could help." He began to turn back towards the boat. "Well, if there's nothing left to make clear-"

"Stay where you are!" the man barked, his eyes narrowing. "I'm not finished with you yet."

Turning back, the youth crossed his arms. "What's the problem?"

"The problem" the guard said, "is that you somehow managed to get here by traveling through the forbidden forest of the Shishigami! No human has ever managed that feat! On top of that, you managed to do it on foot, while carrying two injured men the whole way! Now, tell me, am I supposed to ignore this as a regular occurance?"

Not surprisingly, the youth was not happy with the attitude towards him. A grimace forming on his face he raised his hand to respond. "All right, pal, why don't you-"

"Koroku!" a high-pitched voice called out, cutting off the grunt. Both Dante and Gonza turned their attention in the direction of the voice, and saw a young, attractive woman running at full speed down the slope, pushing aside anyone in her path as she tried to get to the injured man. She was dressed in a bright red kimono, and, like most of the women in the crowd, her hair was concealed in a towel. "Koroku! You're alive!"

"Toki!" Koroku replied back, clearly happy to see the woman.

Just when the woman was about to reach Koroku, she looked like she was going to smother him in a suffocating embrace. Instead, she stopped just short of him, and caught sight of the bandages covering his arm and legs. Her blank stare turned into a terrifying glare, and her chest puffed up in a fit of anger. "Well, that's just perfect!" she scowled. "Just look at your stupid mess of a body now! How are we supposed to work and eat with you in such a ridiculous state? You're completely worthless!"

"But Toki, please, I-"

"You scared me half to death, you idiotic weakling! Don't try to worm your way out of this! You're a complete disgrace! I'm wondering why I married you in the first place! In fact, I'm starting to wish the wolves had eaten you! Then, I might have been able to find a real husband who doesn't get himself injured every time I'm not around!"

This little outburst had the entire crowd in a fit of laughter. Koroku, clearly embarrassed, tried to calm her down. "Dear, please, everyone's listening!"

Dante stood, mouth hanging open, at the scene before him. He thought the ox-driver had just been exaggerating when he described his wife. Now, though, he saw what troubled the man. Turning to the bodyguard, he asked quietly, "'Scuse me…is that by any chance his wife?"

Tilting his head back towards the outlander, Gonza replied. "Yes, she is. Sadly, Toki is pretty much always like this."

Turning back to the scene, Dante let out a sigh. And I thought this guy was actually troubled. He's just a wimp. "Who in hell set these two up?"

Letting out a small chuckle, the captain of the guard turned to the young woman. "Toki, why don't you spare us your little love-quarrel? We'd all be glad to hear it later."

"Why don't you shut your fat mouth?" the woman countered almost immediately, whipping around to face the man, and stomping over to him, ignoring Dante's presence. "You're one to talk, Gonza, being the one who left them there to die in the first place! And some captain of the guard you are! You never do one lick of work around here, and you're nowhere to be found when there's danger! And when everything's fine, you're out in the open, throwing orders around like you've actually got some authority! So stuff you and your advice!" she finished, an icy glare piercing from her dark eyes.

Unable to keep quiet any longer, the youth took a step forward. "Hey, lady, will you take it easy?" Upon hearing his voice, the woman turned to stare at the young soldier, her eyes piercing through his sunglasses. "You could at least show a bit more appreciation that your husband's back! He may not be in the best shape, but he went through a lot just to make it all the way back here! And blaming everyone else in your path isn't gonna fix anything! So, for the love of God, calm down!"

Keeping her gaze on the young foreigner for a few more seconds, her blank stare suddenly turned into sly smile. "And just who are you?" she asked, a complete change of tone in her voice.

Taken aback by the sudden change of attitude, Dante regained his composure before answering. "My name is Dante, and, like I said, I'm the one who helped your husband and the other guy get back here alive. And I was just saying-"

"He's telling the truth, dear!" he heard Koroku speak up suddenly. "And you won't believe-"

"I don't believe I said you could talk, dear," she said, throwing a nasty glare towards the ox-driver. "So be quiet!"

Upon seeing Koroku lower his head in submission, Dante let out a groan. "Hey, pal, what the hell did I just talk to you about?" he yelled, gesturing to the man's wife. Catching the gesture, Toki looked from the outlander to her battered husband, a look of suspicion on her face.

"What do you mean?" Turning back to her husband, she gave him another glare. "What did you talk about, Koroku?"

Looking from the youth to his wife, Koroku looked like he was about to attempt a retort. However, one final look from Toki threw him back into submission. Dante sighed in frustration before Toki turned back to him, her smile returning.

"I just want to thank you, stranger. I'm pretty sure Koroku and you had a lot to talk about. But don't worry about him. He may be dim-witted and useless, but I'm very thankful he's safe."

"You've got a fucked-up way of showing it" the youth retorted. "You had me thinking I'd made a mistake by bringing him back here."

The woman stopped to blink a few times before breaking out in laughter. "That's a very quick wit you have, stranger. And you're not bad-looking, either. Koroku's lucky he survived, or else I just might have found myself falling for you right about now" she said, returning her warm smile.

Unable to answer, Dante stood with his jaw hanging open. "Uhh…look, lady, that's nice, but…" he muttered, trying not to look in Koroku's direction.

Before he could finish, she noticed his face, and moved in closer, further shocking the outlander. "Say, what's that black thing covering your eyes? Why don't you take it off, and show us the rest of your handsome face? I bet your eyes match up nice with it" she finished, her face looking slyer and slyer as she got closer.

Completely bewildered, the youth began to sweat. Christ, he thought, does she hit on guys like this all the time? Now I really feel sorry for this guy. I mean, she's acting weirder than those girls we met at that massage parlor in Saigon…

Before he could answer, a soft, yet authoritative voice interrupted them. "Gonza," he heard, before watching as the people on the slope parted to reveal a lone woman at the top. All eyes were on her as she spoke, and Dante couldn't help but notice why, even through the dark sunglasses. She was rather tall for her kind, reaching a height of about the same as the soldier. Her slender frame was dressed in a dark red kimono with a pattern of yellow fans, which was covered by a heavy, dark blue cloak draped over her shoulders. Her face was thin with noticeable features, including high, curved cheekbones, and crimson-painted lips. Her raven-colored hair was tied into a bun towards the back of her head, and her dark eyes gave off a mysterious feeling as they fell on Dante.

Immediately turning to the woman, the bodyguard reacted with a quick bow in her direction. "Bring the stranger to me later this evening. I want to thank him personally." Her gaze fell upon Dante once more before she called out again. "Toki."

"Yes, Milady?"

A light went off in the youth's head. Milady? he thought. Once again, all the stories he'd heard began to flood back to him: the stories of the young woman who had gained land and power with an ironworks. There was no other explanation for the stunning, breath-taking woman gazing upon him right now. Lady Eboshi?

"I want our guest properly bathed and fed before he is brought to me. I'm leaving it to you to make sure he is taken care of."

Toki threw another glance at Dante and smirked before nodding to her mistress happily. "Thank you, Milady."

Eboshi then turned to Koroku, who was still being supported by his friends. "Koroku" she said, continuing in her soft voice, "We are all rejoicing at your return. I am very glad that you are safe, and I apologize for leaving you and the other's behind. It was a bad decision I made."

Koroku, who looked like he couldn't have been happier, nodded to his mistress. "Thank you, Milady" he barely managed to say.

"Don't say such things so easily, Milady," Toki interrupted. "If you're too nice to the idiot, he'll take advantage of your generosity! He's been doing it ever since we've been married."

At this, Dante sighed again, but sent his attention right back to the head mistress. "I should apologize to you as well, Toki. Had I acted differently, I could have prevented this."

"Don't worry about that, Milady," Toki replied, shaking her head. "If you hadn't been there, the whole caravan would have been killed by the wolves, and all us girls would have to find new husbands!"

Save for Dante and Gonza, the whole crowd erupted into uproarious laughter. Dante gave another irritated sigh, and Gonza scowled under his breath.

"Get some rest, stranger," the woman said, a smile on her face. "I will see you tonight." And, with that, she turned around, and walked back through the gate, a small group of women with laundry baskets accompanying her.

Wanting to get a better look before she disappeared, Dante reached up and removed his sunglasses, the sun glaring down on his naked eyes once again. Watching her leave, he exhaled a sigh, and reached down to grab a cigarette from his fatigue pocket- only to find Toki's face not four inches from his own, her eyes studying his face with a rather wicked smirk.

"I knew it. You do have beautiful eyes."

The youth had no spoken reply.

I'm don't wanna waste your time with more words about the story. But be ready for another update soon.

Plus, just in case some of you are wondering, I'm putting more emphasis on Gonza for a reason. He'll play a significant role in this story. I'm among the crowd that sees him as an underrated character. I hope many of you feel the same way.

Happy trails.

Music for Chapter 13:

Land of the Impure, by Joe Hisaishi (Mononoke-Hime)

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, the Rolling Stones