Princess Mononoke Fan Fiction ❯ Untitled ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 2
Well, I decided to resume this after FINALLY getting the DVD (I only had a
BORROWED fansub when I wrote chapter 1 way back in October of '99, and
after I returned that I didn't have any source material to reference), and
I discovered that the romanizations for some of the names are different (I
may do a search and replace when I finish the thing, just to get it more
uniform). I don't want to go back and change every reference, and I
completed some portions of the future chapters with the fansub
romanizations that I started with, but I haven't published them yet. I
ALSO wrote a tiny bit on another computer SINCE getting the DVD using the
'literal' subtitle translation (as opposed to the closed captioning
translation, which I think spells Jiko's name as Jigo, though I could be
mistaken...) and intend to cut and paste those parts here. For this
reason, I figured I'd say 'Ah, screw it!' and use BOTH romanization schemes
as the mood hits me (or, in some cases, as the situation calls for it-
Tatarigami might be more appropriate than 'demons' in some cases, for
instance). Consider this an experiment. For those of you who are easily
confused, here's what the equivalencies between the two schemes are.
Jigo = Jiko
Mountain Dogs = Moro Clan
Tatarigami = demons
Tataraba = Iron Town
Yukkaru = Yakul

Well, now that that's over with, here's the story.
---------------------------

A terrified Koroku met San at the gates as they opened. He bowed as she
and the wolf stepped through, not wanting to be here but having been
ordered to greet her. "Greetings, Princess Mononoke," his voice cracked
obsequiously. He continued on, forgetting, in his fear, the instructions
Eboshi gave him to introduce himself. "Ashitaka will only be a few
minutes, but if you wish I can give you a proper tour while you wait. You
might find it interesting to see the town when you have time to take in the
sights."

San sniffed haughtily. "I'll wait here."

Koroku shifted nervously. Much to his relief, his wife, Toki, joined them
a few moments later, carrying a couple of bundles. "Excuse me, Princess
Mononoke," she curtseyed with a flourish. "My name is Toki, and I'm a
friend of Ashitaka's- he saved my husbands life, and did everything he
could to protect me and the other women of this village. We all are
grateful to him, and are very sorry for the harm we have caused you and the
forest. The Lady Eboshi sent me to entertain you until Ashitaka is
available. If you want something to eat, I've got some tea and rice that
you can have, and if there is anything else you need, just let me know, and
my husband, here, will get it for you."

"I want Ashitaka," San growled. "Not food, not tea, not a tour.
Ashitaka."

Toki sighed, glanced in frustration at her seemingly useless husband, and
set the food down. "Dear, why don't you go see how much longer Ashitaka
will be, okay?"

"Oh- of course!" he said gratefully. "I'll just go and do that!" He burst
into a run in the direction of the restoration work, traveling faster than
his wife had ever seen him move before.

Toki shook her head, smiling, and returned her attention to her visitors.
"My husband is absolutely terrified of you, my dear. Well, if you won't
accept anything else we can do to entertain you, maybe you and your
companion would be willing to sit down and have a bit of a chat, eh?"
Without waiting for a response, she spread a blanket on the ground and sat
on it.

At first, San was going to refuse the offer, but then sighed. She was
supposed to be getting used to dealing with humans on a peaceful basis, and
while she might not trust the food or drink they sent her, there was
certainly no reason that she couldn't talk to them. Besides, Toki gave off
an aura of friendliness that was hard to ignore.

The natural-born wolf, who remained silent during the whole exchange to
that point, seemed to feel like relaxing with this woman was acceptable, as
he had already taken position lying down beside the blanket. San grimaced-
her brother seemed to feel as though HE was in charge now that Moro was
gone. She'd have to have a nice talking-to with him, when all of this was
over. Let him know there was a reason she was given the title of Princess
of the Wolves.

At any rate, she knelt down across from Toki- seating herself in such a way
that she could leap up to defend herself quickly if the situation warranted
it- and delved into the conversation.

"What do you wish to say?" she said proudly, unconsciously trying to show
herself superior to the other woman.

Toki ignored the tone of San's voice, however. "Well, the politics I know
of would either anger you or confuse you, so that's probably not a good
topic. And, bless me, you probably understand the trends of the weather so
well that anything I might say on that subject would just bore you. When
you can't talk about the weather, and you can't talk about politics, then
there's only one thing worth talking about, and that's boys," she said with
a twinkle in her eyes. "And I must say, you found yourself quite a
handsome one."

San bristled. "I am a wolf- why would I care about boys?"

Toki laughed. "Deny it all you want, but you certainly seem rather
insistent about seeing that Ashitaka boy. I don't blame you, either- why,
if I were a few years younger and not already married, I might have thought
about trying to take him from you."

San's anger flared at that. "I wouldn't allow it!" she snarled.

"Of course you wouldn't, dear," Toki agreed. "And neither would Ashitaka-
any attempt to seduce him from you would be quite futile, I fear." She
frowned. "It would be a shame if the two of you were broken up because you
couldn't settle on some form of living arrangement. I know you don't want
to live here, with us, dear, and I doubt Ashitaka would enjoy living in the
woods forever, even if he had you as company." She smiled slightly. "Men-
human men, at least- love to show off their wives, and while your boy may
be extraordinary in some regards, I doubt that he has been able to remove
all of the vices which make him a man."

San straightened slightly. "Wife? I won't ever be a wife- that's a human
thing. He will have to accept me as a mate, nothing more. I refuse to go
through the human traditions."

Toki just nodded, seeming to expect that. "Of course, dear. But the
concept is the same- he'll be just as proud to have you as his mate as he
would to have you as his wife, and it's BECAUSE he's proud of you that
he'll want to show you off." The twinkle in her eye reappeared. "Some
women don't like that, because it makes them think their husbands treat
them like property. Those of us women fortunate enough to know that our
husbands can't- and won't- ever see us as something owned know better; we
know that they're proud because WE chose THEM, not the other way around.
It's a compliment, if you think about it."

San shook her head defiantly. "I haven't chosen him. But he won't give up
on me, and I admire that. He has the heart of a wolf, at times."

Her brother growled slightly, showing his displeasure at her response. He
did not say anything however.

Toki glanced over at the wolf, then back to San. "Your companion over
there doesn't seem to agree with you, though I can't tell if that's because
he thinks Ashitaka isn't worthy of being called a wolf, or if because he
doesn't believe you that you haven't chosen him." She paused. "I would
suspect the later, though, because I don't believe you, either."

"You think I'm lying?!"

"To me? Maybe not. But if you aren't lying to me, then you're just lying
to yourself," she declared.

San and Toki glared into each other's eyes for a moment. Neither blinked,
neither said a thing, and neither backed down. San escalated the conflict
by baring her teeth in a growl, and Toki answered with a defiant smile.

San's brother finally broke the silence, barking out a laugh that startled
both girls. "I think I like this human," he said, looking at Toki.
"Sister, I think you have met your match in determination. And she is
right- do not lie, sister. It reflects poorly on the Mountain Dogs."

"Now, don't be too hard on the girl," Toki admonished the wolf. "She's
probably terrified of committing herself. Happens all the time- it's known
as 'getting cold feet.' Common human reaction."

"I'm no human, I'm a wolf!" San snapped.

"Sure you are, dear," Toki said, humoring her. "Most wolves I've heard of
wouldn't be this hesitant about choosing their mates, though. I guess
you're a wolf who just looks and acts like a human."

"I'm not a human, and I don't ACT like a human, either!" San bellowed.

"Then prove it!" Toki shot back. "We all know you want to make Ashitaka
your husband- excuse me, I mean mate- so act on it! He wants you to take
him, after all. Anyone can see that."

That was the moment Koroku decided to return, leading Ashitaka with him.
"Um, here he is..." the one-time ox driver said.

San was enraged enough at Toki's comments to nearly leap from her seated
position at the poor boy. "Come with me, Ashitaka- we need to talk," she
growled dangerously as she grabbed his arm and started dragging him away.
"Where is your den?"

It took Ashitaka a second to realize she meant his hut. He didn't have a
hut of his own, yet, but there were a couple of places where people could
have privacy, and he started leading her to one such building. San's
brother stood up and started to follow, but paused a brief moment to
whisper in Toki's ear.

"A dangerous ploy, woman, but I like it. Perhaps, like San and Ashitaka,
you have the spirit of a wolf in you."

* * * * *

Kaya sighed, glancing back at the village of her Emishi brethren. The
twilight of the setting sun illuminated it beautifully, and she couldn't
help feeling some regret. She'd told no-one she was leaving, and suspected
the town would be sent into a minor uproar searching for her when her
disappearance was discovered. Then again, maybe the village would forget
about her... again.

It seemed, ever since her half-brother Ashitaka had left, that the entire
village had decided to ignore her. Ashitaka may have been a prince of the
village through his late father, but she was merely a child of his mother's
near-destitute second husband. He had always treated her kindly, but most
of the other villagers thought even less of her than they did of the other
girls of the Emishi clan- or at least, it seemed to her that way. Perhaps
she was being unfair, as the village had a number of problems to deal with
outside of those that a young girl might be facing, but she doubted it.

She double-checked her supplies, just to make certain she had all that she
needed before she reached the point of no return. She had her Emishi-style
bowl, a bag of rice that would probably last her for a couple of weeks, if
she was careful, a skin full of water, two more empty skins to fill along
the way, some cooking equipment, and her short sword. The sword was a
necessity for a woman traveling alone- she might not be skilled enough to
take down a trained soldier, but any untrained criminals who wanted to
assault her would be made short work of.

Reassured that she was well prepared, she set off. She knew her brother
had survived his ordeal- she would have known if he had failed, she was
sure- and now she planned to find him again. Take him back home if he
would come, stay with him if he would not. And if she was wrong, and he
was dead, well... then she'd have to think of something else to do with her
life- or perhaps, she'd have to end it.

* * * * *

The ferocity that Toki had inspired in San had waned greatly by the time
Ashitaka had closed the door of the hut behind her and her brother. She'd
almost lost the conviction to have this discussion when Ashitaka stopped
them at the stables to feed Yakul, but she was determined to prove to that
Toki woman and anyone else who challenged her that she was a wolf, both in
spirit and in action.

Steeling herself for what she was about to say, she turned to Ashitaka and
took a deep breath.

"Ashitaka, I want to take you as my mate," she said, forcing her voice to
remain steady.

The boy looked at her without visible surprise. After a few seconds pause,
he answered, "You mean you want to marry me?"

"NO!" San growled, the implication strengthening her resolve slightly. "I
am not going to follow a silly human custom. I will follow the tradition
of the Moro Clan as best as I can, and we of the Moro Clan do not marry.
We do, however, take mates, and I intend to take you as mine."

"I may let you, one day," Ashitaka replied, still unfazed by her
proclamations. He wondered somewhat at this, himself, but figured that his
dream of the Shishigami had warned him of this enough to prepare for this.
"But last I heard, while you loved me, you hated the humans. I will visit
you as often as I can, but even if we do not follow my home clan's custom
of marriage, I intend to mate for life. While I love you, I could not
spend my whole life apart from humans even for you. I could try, but in
doing so I may grow to resent it- and in doing so, to resent you- which is
unfair to both of us. Do you have some sort of solution to this, or not?
And why is your brother here with us- I would imagine a conversation like
this would be better done in private, even amongst the Moro clan. It
certainly would be for most humans."

San bowed her head, unable to reply. She was hating herself for not being
able to answer him, but all of her fierce determination had been depleted.
This was a matter that Moro had not prepared her for, and all she had to
rely upon were her all-too-human instincts. She was a wolf, though, and
she would stamp down those human instincts with every fibre of her being...
even if it DID leave her silent and afraid.

"I am here to keep San from lying to herself," the wolf sounded out. "As
she has already tried to do once, today. She fears what her own heart
tells her, but that is just part of her concern. Her fears have manifested
themselves in other ways- she does not want to lose what she is as a wolf
of the Moro clan, despite her human body, and has no real idea for a
solution to her problems. All she knew, in coming here, is that she wanted
to see you."

Ashitaka watched San. He could see the fear in her- the fire that he loved
so much in her was dim, and she looked more vulnerable than he could ever
remember. He hated to see her look so frightened, and reached out a hand
to comfort her.

San flinched slightly as his finger unexpectedly caressed her cheek, but
said nothing, allowing him to touch her as she would no other human. The
finger lowered to her chin, and raised it so that she would face him eye to
eye.

"San... do not worry. I believe that while we are not mates in body, yet,
we are in spirit. We can reach some compromise where both you and I are
happy, I am sure of it. Moro once told me that you were neither human nor
wolf. I believe you can be both... if you allow it."

San leaned back slightly, forcing Ashitaka to retrieve his finger. "What
do you mean?"

"I said I could not live all of my life apart from humans, but that doesn't
mean I couldn't spend some of it without them, as long as I had you with
me. Would you be willing to try and spend some time with them- and me- in
this village?"

"What?!" San cried, outraged that he would be willing to even think of
having her live with humans.

"All I want you to do is give this village a chance, now that it has
learned its lessons from the death of Shishigami. I do not ask you to
change yourself- you do not have to become a human and concern yourself
with human needs- I just want you to see if you can live in it, even for a
brief period."

"I hate humans!" San growled out angrily. "You know that- how do you
expect me to live with that which I hate?!"

Ashitaka stiffened slightly. "I would hope, after a short time, you'd
learn that not all humans are alike, and that some may not deserve your
hate. Not even all of those in this village." He paused. "I would have
hoped you learned that lesson with me, but maybe I was mistaken."

San's anger dissipated, somewhat. "No... I have learned that lesson
already. Some humans are worthy of more than my hatred... you are worthy
of much more. But I couldn't stand being surrounded by so much of that
which I hate for long, even if I AM trying to learn not to hate it."

Ashitaka watched San as she seemed to retreat into herself. She looked...
helpless, as if she couldn't think of any way to solve their problems.
"Could you try and deal with one week?"

"What?"

"Of course, you would be allowed to leave any time," Ashitaka continued,
"But... if you could stand to live in the village, with me, for one week,
then I could join you in the forest for a month, or even more. Would it
hurt so much to try, when the reward could be... us?"

San didn't have an answer for a moment, so her brother decided to give one
for her. "Yes, she will," he growled. "And she will actually TRY to live
with you. If she fails, we will have to think of something else, and there
will be no shame for her. But if she gives up without trying, the Moro
clan will consider itself dishonored."

"Brother!" San exclaimed in outrage.

"Hush, San," the wolf intoned. "I love you, and so does our brother, but
we can't stand seeing you pine for this one human so much and yet not be
able to do anything about it. We both decided, well before dawn today,
that we would find a way to help you. If that means forcing you to learn
to get along with humans better, so be it." He stood up. "I will leave,
now. I imagine the two of you have other things you'll need to talk about
that don't concern me- things such as providing for San's meals, getting
her presence accepted by the town, and figuring out where she sleeps." He
paused. "I suggest you hold off on any physical mating until you know if
this will work. If it does not work, then your separation will be that
much more painful."

He stood on all fours, turning to the doorway. Before he could leave,
though, Ashitaka called to him, "Can I talk with you- in private- for a
minute?"

The wolf paused, then grunted his agreement. Ashitaka lead him out of the
hut, and directed him to the town's gates.

"What did you wish to speak to me about, human?" the wolf asked.

"Well, first of all," Ashitaka said, "I want to thank you. Not for what
you did for me, but for what you've done for San. I believe it would have
come to this anyway, and she is better off getting it over with now rather
than later." He paused, waiting for some sort of reply. Without getting
one, he continued, "I know San's hearing is better than a normal humans-
can she overhear us, where we are right now?"

That drew the wolf's curious attention. "No. Not inside this town, where
all you noisy humans drown out much of what you say to each other."

Ashitaka nodded. "Good... I want to tell you something which I am
forbidden from telling San. And it is not the humans which forbid me from
telling it to her, but a more important being. I think someone of the Moro
clan should know of it, however, and I don't know when I will be able to
tell her. But if I tell you, I want you to promise not to tell San
yourself, until I know the time is right."

"I make no promises now," the wolf growled suspiciously. "If I think this
secret is made in ill intent, I will not make any such promise. But I will
consider it."

"Very well," the boy replied. "I think, when you here it, you will know
that such a promise is warranted."

He took a deep breath, then continued. "Earlier today, in my dreams,
Shishigami appeared to me. Among other things, he warned me of San's
arrival, but he only did so after he told me some... important things. He
said the four he spared were instrumental in his future plans- the four he
spared being myself, San, Eboshi, and Jiko. These are plans to apparently
restore the forests by following my dreams. The old gods are dying out, he
said, so the humans will have to learn to coexist with the forest.
Something I wished to do anyway, but something which I am unsure of how to
achieve. That was my dream, and what I fear is how San's involvement in
this will affect you of the Moro clan, and the few surviving older gods."

The wolf barked in laughter. "We're tough. We'll survive whatever
happens, if Shishigami wills it. Our mother, Moro, accepted the fate of
her own death, and so all wolves will accept the fate that destiny provides
for us. And if we don't survive, it won't matter... provided the forests
are protected."

"San will protect the forests," Ashitaka intoned. "Eboshi will protect the
humans. I will protect the both of them- from each other, if it comes to
that. From themselves, if it seems necessary. I suspect that is part of
Shishigami's plan. But who will protect you?"

"Perhaps this Jiko character. Perhaps Shishigami himself. Perhaps we will
not need protection- we are quite good at protecting ourselves, after all."
They reached the gates of the town, and the wolf sat while Ashitaka went
to ask the gatekeepers to open the doors. "Your concern for us is
touching," he continued after the boy had returned. "But the time of the
old gods may be over. Our spirit will continue, however, in people like
San and yourself. I met a woman here, earlier, who I felt had the spirit
of the wolf in her, as well- Toki, I believe her name was."

Ashitaka smiled. "Ah, yes. I made the mistake of rescuing her husband
from drowning after you wolves and San attacked him. I hope San's still at
least that spirited when she's forty."

The gate finished opening. The wolf walked through it, then turned its
head to address Ashitaka one last time. "I should let you know," he said.
"San and you are now mates. As the mate of one of the Moro clan, you are
part of the Moro clan. Return to your mate... brother. You have much to
discuss."

* * * * *

'Yukkaru's tracks!' Kaya thought excitedly. It had been several weeks
since Ashitaka had left, and she feared that all trace of her brother had
faded from sight. But here, in a field much further from the village than
its regular riders were allowed, she saw the distinctive tracks of
Yukkaru's breed. As far as she new, no-one outside of her village ever
rode such a beast, so here, thankfully, was some evidence showing where her
brother went. Something which, for the first time, allowed her to hope
that she wasn't on a fool's errand.

'It may take a while, big brother, but I'll find you.'

* * * * *

Ashitaka returned to the hut where San waited, and gestured for her to
follow him. "This hut is not truly my... 'den,'" he noted as he lead her
out. "My den has not been built yet- that is what has kept me from
visiting you all this time."

San glanced up at him. "You could have come to me. I would have let you
share with that of the Moro clan."

"And then I would have had no den of my own, and I would be cut off from
the humans. I know you don't like them, San, but as I said, if I had to
live my life apart from the humans forever, even for you, I would grow
resentful. For me, it would be almost as bad as if you had to live apart
from your wolves for your whole life."

San nodded. "I understand. So if you do not have a den, where do you
sleep?"

"I've been sleeping in one of the communal buildings- the cafeteria. I
hope to get permission to borrow one of the private huts like the one we
just left while you are here, though- I want you to have a place of your
own, for now. I don't believe that you need to start learning to accept
humans by sleeping with an army of them."

San shuddered in revulsion. "No, I do not. Tell me, though- why are there
private huts like that one not in use, while most humans are forced to
endure sleeping with each other?"

"They are in use, actually. But a different couple uses them each night...
they are used for when the married couples who have not restored their own
dens attempt a... physical mating."

The blush on San's face told him that she understood. "Oh. But my brother
advised that we avoid... that."

"I am not suggesting it," Ashitaka replied, nearly squirming in
embarrassment. "You would have the hut to yourself, and one less married
couple will be able to mate during that period. It need only be for a few
days, while my own hut- I mean, den- is being built, and then you can sleep
in that while you are still here. I will continue to sleep in the communal
area."

"That is unnecessary," San said in a near whisper. "Physical mating may
be... dangerous, but we can still sleep in the same den. It might... help
make this easier."

Ashitaka knocked on the door of a somewhat sturdier building, which looked
only partially restored. He smiled at San. "I believe that, too, can be
arranged. But you WILL have to be civil to Eboshi today, if you want that
to happen."

"I'll try."

The door opened, and Gonza's distrusting face appeared.

"Yes?"

Ashitaka stared the man straight in the eye, a fierce expression on his
face. "Tell the Lady Eboshi that I need to discuss with her some
preparations to be made regarding a guest." He paused. "Better yet, step
aside. San and I will just talk with her, ourselves."

* * * * *


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