Chapter 3

Water pounded the red umbrellas of a regiment scaling the craggy mountain path to reach their mountain home. Sacks of rice were slung over the backs of oxen. Men carried guns wrapped in red paper. A husky female voice was giving orders to move out and not to let the rain slow them down.
"We need to get this rice home. The sooner we're there the sooner we can eat. Let's move it!"
An orange-bonnet covered her face from the pounding rain. A blue cloak and pants covered her. The only way you could see her face was if you looked her straight in the eye. A man in a brown warrior's garb huddled close to the female.
In the distance, two white forms, untouched by howling the weather, bounded over the rocky terrain of the mountain and headed toward the regiment.
"Here they come! It's the Inu-gami!" A watchman hollered.
Lady Eboshi yelled out orders. "Stay calm. You don't want to startle the oxen. Prepare you guns!"
Men in orange tunics raised their guns at the approaching invaders. Umbrellas were set up at an alarming rate and reed raincoats filed along the edge of the mountain path.
"Keep you powder dry!"
Rain guzzled down and drenched some of the powder. The ox drivers cupped their palms to keep the powder dry. The white forms took shape and two large wolves and a human, who sat astride on the back of one her brothers, charged at men.
"Number one, fire!" Lady Eboshi roared.
Guns shots blasted out of the iron barrels. The bullets ricocheted of the rocks missing the dogs. In the distance, Ashitaka and Sirius were riding through the forest. They both turned when they heard gunshots coming from the mountain. The thunder of the bullets continued as they walked.
"Number two, fire!"
The wolves retreated into the rain, disappearing among the rocks.
"We got them!" Eboshi's right-armed man yelled.
"Don't be stupid, Gonza," Lady Eboshi said. "Those were the pups. Wait till you see their mother."
Just as they words came out of her mouth, a large wolf with two tails flew off the mountain ledge and pounced on Eboshi. Several men and oxen were thrown off the cliff by the Inu-gami's force.
"It's Moro!"
Lady Eboshi raised her Ishibiya; an iron ball shot out of the cannon and landed punctured Moro's shoulder blade. The force of the cannon threw Moro off the cliff.
Gonza looked over the edge and smiled at his lady.
"We killed her!"
Lady Eboshi just reloaded her Ishibiya. "Don't be stupid, she's immortal. It will take more than that to kill her."
Gonza scanned the group of men around him. "We also took a pretty bad beating."
Eboshi just ignored him. "We leave immediately."
"What shall we do about those that fell into the ravine?" Gonza gave her a queer look.
"They're dead. Reform the ranks!"
The remaining men steadied the oxen and moved on. A few of them looked down into the ravine, hoping to catch a glimpse of their fallen comrades.

Yakkuru managed to cross a river that was at the bottom of an immense ravine. Sirius remained on the other side as she watched her companions cross. She gave a small sigh and removed her boots. The water didn't seem to touch her as she crossed.
"I'm more ghost than I thought," Sirius murmured.
She replaced the boots on her feet and trailed after Ashitaka. Baggage floated down the river and Ashitaka blinked. He turned his head and gasped. He jumped off Yakkuru and raced towards a fallen man in the river, Ashitaka put his hand over the man's mouth. He was dressed in an orange tunic and a tan headpiece covered his eyes.
"He's still breathing."
He quickly dragged the man over to Yakkuru. Sirius kneeled down, 'Maybe I can do something, she thought.' She closed her eyes and placed her hands together. Her hands started to shimmer with a gold light, she opened her eyes and the gold light transferred to the man's body. His stopped gasping for breath and started to breathe in a regular rhythm.
Sirius looked at Ashitaka; he was dragging another man. This one was in better condition than the man in the orange tunic. His tunic was blue and his hair was pulled up in a spiked ponytail. Sirius watched as the youth jumped over some rocks in the riverbed. He kneeled down in some bushes and seemed to be watching something. Sirius went over to him, her eyes grew round as she saw the body of a huge wolf. Not to far from it, a carcass of an ox rotted in the late morning sun.
The bushes by the wolf rustled and two more wolves, but smaller, came out. A girl rode one of the smaller wolves and a look of concern spread across her face as she went over to the bigger wolf. Sirius noticed a gaping wound in the wolf's shoulder blade. The girl started to suck contaminated blood from the wound. The wolf growled in the direction Ashitaka and Sirius were. The girl quickly stopped sucking the blood from the wolf and sent a piercing glare at the bushes.
Sirius's eyes grew bigger and her mouth fell agape. The wolf girl looked almost exactly liked Sailor Sirius. They had the same fathomless eyes and the same haircut. The senshi looked the girl over. Triangular tattoos rested under eyes and another tattoo sat on her forehead. A circlet of black leather was wrapped around her forehead and the same leather was used for her armbands. She wore a navy dress that was blood stained along the hem. A white fur coverlet hid most of the dress. She also had a cloak made from the same fur as the coverlet; three large teeth on a leather string held the cloak in place. White disks hung in the girl's ears and a red mask rested on her back.
Ashitaka removed his orange mask and jumped onto a fallen log.
"My name is Ashitaka. I came here from the faraway lands to the east. Are you the old gods I have heard inhabit the forest of the Shishi-gami?!"
The wolf girl just gave him a look that would make any grown man cry. The largest of the three wolves looked in the direction of Sirius and sniffed the air. It then got up and gave a sly dog smile. The large wolf got up and walked into the woods. The smaller Yama-inu followed, the girl jumped onto the back of one of them and looked at Ashitaka.
"Go away!"
One of the smaller wolves dragged away the carcass of the oxen.

"Mother why didn't we kill him," San, the wolf girl, asked Moro, the Inu-gami.
The wolf clan walked in the forest scaring any woodland creature in their path. The wounded Inu-gami didn't turn back to look at her daughter, but she answered in a toneless voice. "I smelled something inhuman with him. The boy did not seem know something was with him. But whatever it was, it held a great and familiar power. I did not want to take the chance and attack, when I was wounded."
No more words were exchanged, even though San seemed to have a different prospective of the meeting with the human boy.

A scream pierced the silence of the forest and Ashitaka raced back to his camp. One of the men was screaming and trying to escape. Two of his limbs hung limp by his side. Sirius sweat-dropped. A white-green humanoid creature sat on a rock before the scared man. The creature's head was oblong and it looked like the body couldn't support it. Two crudely shaped circles were its eyes and another circle was its mouth. The creature slowly turned it's head and it snapped back making a noise that sounded like wood clacking together or maybe the hollow chirp of a cricket.
Ashitaka kneeled behind the man's head and blinked.
"Kodama? There are Kodama here, too. Quiet," he said to the man, "If you move you'll worsen your wounds! If you let it do, as it likes, no harm will come to you. It's a sign that the forest is healthy."
The man just gulped. "These things call the Shishi-gami."
"Shishi-gami? Like those wolves I saw?"
"No. Something even more frightening, the chief of the monsters!" The Kodama got up from the rock and disappeared into thin air.
"Ahh, it vanished!"
Sirius rolled her eyes and went into the woods. A small plant, that the senshi knew was a healing herb, was planted nearby. She bent down to see if she could grasp the plant, but her hand passed through it. Three Kodama gathered around the small herb and clacked their heads as they looked up at Sirius.
"Can you see me?"
One of the Kodama gave a goofy smile and picked a few leaves off the plant. He held them for Sirius to take. She gave a small bow to her new friends.
"Thank you, but why can you see me?"
All three of the Kodama just clacked their heads in unison and disappeared. She turned back to her comrade.
"Yakkuru is unconcerned. There is no danger nearby," Ashitaka smiled as a lanky Kodama appeared on Yakkuru's back. Ashitaka leaned down to be eye level with the lanky Kodama. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but with your permission we will pass through your forest."
The Kodama seemed to be a little shy and it just turned its back to Ashitaka. Sailor Sirius gave a small smile and placed the healing herb beside the man in the orange tunic. Ashitaka started to set the men's wounds, he raised an eyebrow when he saw the herb by one of the men.
After the wounds were set and bandaged. The trio and the invisible senshi started their hike through the forest. The man in blue tunic introduced himself as Kouroku. He rode Yakkuru with a weary look on his face as Ashitaka carried the other man. Kodama followed the group, clacking their heads to let them know they were there. A few of the Kodama tried to ride on Sirius's shoulder, but they kept falling off.
"I beg of you, let's go back! There's a path on the other side of the river. It's impossible to escape this forest!" Kouroku begged.
"Nothing is impossible," Sirius said aloud even though they couldn't hear her.
The lush landscape of the forest made Sirius hold her breath. Trees thicker than an elephant's leg loomed around her. Flowers that had been destroyed in the future bloomed everywhere. Vines and canopies of leaves nearly blocked out the sky. There was green in every direction she looked.
"The river's current is too strong for us to cross. Besides, if we don't hurry, it will be too late for this wounded man."
Sirius snapped back to reality as Ashitaka spoke. Sweat dripped down the youth's face as he carried the man. One Kodama appeared in front of them and led them down a worn path. Ashitaka smiled at the little spirit.
"Hey little fellow are you helping us through the forest or are you getting us even more lost?"
The Kodama turned around and nodded to Ashitaka.
"Danna, these things don't want us to return home! More and more keep appearing."
Ashitaka dropped down for a moment to collect his breath. The hill was growing steeper. Some of the Kodama mimicked Ashitaka, which made the youth smile. Past the hill a giant tree towered over the group. It's branches were so close together they looked the rays of a star. Kodama clustered among the limbs and smiled at the passing travelers.
"So that's your mother. What a splendid tree!"
Sirius put her hand to on tree's trunk and concentrated. The power of the tree surged through her veins. For a moment her body flickered and she became visible.
Kouroku saw the flicker of light. His eyes bulged out as he saw Sirius, he gave a small scream and Sirius looked at him. Her form disappeared as soon as she lost her concentration.
"Danna, there's a woman there!"
Ashitaka turned around. "There's no one there."
Sirius gave a polite bow to the tree. "Thank you." Then she dashed after the travelers.
The Kodama led the group to a clearing in the heart of the forest. All the birds stopped chirping and every other noise ceased. The clearing was a large pool with a small island in the middle of it. Huge trees grew in the pool as if they stood guard over the island. Moss covered the ground and it hung in garlands from the trees. The water was clear and untainted by human pollution.
The orb on Sirius's chest glowed. She looked down at it and it pulsed like a heart beat. 'This is a gateway. Power resides here that is hidden and dead in my time,' she thought.
"This place is magical," Ashitaka whispered. He gazed down and saw the footprints of a human and wolves. They were still freshly marked in the waterlogged moss.
"That girl's footprints, and the Yama-inus' as well. Can this be their domain?"
Blue powdered butterflies fluttered in a small parade around Ashitaka. Their wings were blue and outlined in black. Two large eyes graced their wings, in an odd way the wings seemed to be watching your every move. One butterfly landed on Sirius's finger and rested there a moment.
"Danna, now for sure it's dangerous! The entrance to the other world is here," Kouroku sputtered.
"It looks like it, doesn't it? Let's rest a while."
The youth pulled out his bowl and went to the water edge to fill it. The flock of butterflies fluttered over to him and a few hovered over a footprint in the moss.
"A footprint? Three hoof marks. It's still fresh..."
Another footprint was in the water, they were like nothing Sirius had ever seen before. A twig snapped on the other side of the pool and the senshi and youth turned their heads. A golden light lit up as a herd of deer calmly walked through the forest. One strange beast walked with the herd. It was much larger and obese than the deer. The beast had antlers that reminded Sirius of the limbs of the Kodama tree. Ashitaka's arm suddenly bolted. The skin started to ripple as if they worms were under the blue cloth of his sleeve. He plunged his arm into the water and the attacks subsided.
"Ashitaka." Sirius looked over to where the beast was; the creature looked in their direction. The orb started to pulse at a rapid beat, but it diminished as the creature walked away.
Beads of sweat dampened Ashitaka's forehead. Kouroku had a concerned look on his face.
"Danna, what's the matter?! Your face turned as white as a sheet."
"Did you see anything?" Ashitaka retrieved his bowl.
"Like what?"
"Never mind."
Ashitaka kneeled down and gave some water to the man in the orange tunic.
"Only a little more to endure. Hang in there."
"I failed her..."
'Failed who?' Sirius asked herself. She leaned against a tree and sighed. Ashitaka turned in the direction the beast used to be. 'He's gone. Whatever it was is gone.'
After a few more minutes, they resumed their journey through the forest. The Kodama had disappeared, but the sun was breaking through the veil of leaves and branches.
'Since leaving that place, suddenly this man's body became lighter,' Ashitaka thought.
Kouroku's eyes widened as he felt his arm. "My arm? It doesn't hurt! It's healed!" A crunching noise came from his arm as he raised it above his head.
"No, it's still broken."

The group emerged from the forest tired and sweaty. The afternoon sun blinded them. A hushed silence fell upon them as they gazed at a huge fortress across the lake. Smoke billowed out of its center. The clanging of an anvil being hit echoed in the distance. The mountains around the Tatara Ba were stripped bare of their trees. The smell of iron lingered in the air.
"Iron," Sirius spat, "Is the cause of this mess."
"Danna, wonderful, you're right! We've arrived at the Tatara!" Kouroku exclaimed.
"Seems almost like a castle," Ashitaka replied.
"It's Eboshi-sama's huge tatara. It heats iron sand and produces iron," Kouroku stated.
"There's some kind of evil here," Sirius muttered.
Ashitaka pulled his mask over his face. They approached two ferrymen with their boat. They grew startled by the sight of the three people coming from the forest.
"There are people coming from the forest," one of the men said.
"Is it a Mononoke?" his friend sat up with a worried look.
Kouroku waved his arms in the air and yelled at the men.
"Hey, it's me, Kouroku, the ox-driver!"
The news of Kouroku's returned spread like wildfire throughout the Tatara. People hurried to the water to see the lost ox-driver.
"What, Kouroku? You're sure it's not a ghost?"
"You're kidding."
"Phenomenal! Notify his wife!"
A bunch of riflemen were relaxing beside a bowling pot of rice. A person told them that one of their comrades was alive and they joined the mad dash to the lake.
"Are you sure he is alive?" one of the riflemen asked.
"No lie. They're heading this way by boat right now!"
"Did you see the face of the stranger that helped them?"
Gonza was doing some calculations and was pretty upset about the commotion going on.
"What is it?! I'm writing, be quiet!
"Kouroku, who we thought had died, just left the opposite shore!" someone yelled.
"Nani?!
He threw his calculations over his shoulder and he picked up his katana.
Ashitaka and the wounded men reached the shore. People scrambled around Kouroku and started quizzing him about the fall.
"You're not a ghost, are you?"
"What about the others?"
"There were two other men that fell!"
"We were the only ones who were saved," Kouroku said in a small voice.
People watched the display from the Tatara Ba's gate. Gonza pushed his way through the crowd.
"The ones that die are always the ox-drivers," a woman said.
He watched the activity below him for a moment marched down the path.
"Clear the way!" Gonza ordered
"Lord Gonza, who might that hooded one be?" a man asked.
"I haven't seen the likes of him before."
The riflemen helped their wounded comrade out of the boat as ox-drivers helped Kouroku out as well.
"Riflemen! This man carried your comrade all the way here. You should thank him! Ow ow! Don't hold me there! Watch my arm!"
The riflemen bowed to Ashitaka. They carried their wounded companion up the path and Gonza he nodded at them as he passed them. Gonza marched up to Ashitaka, Sirius was standing in Gonza's path and the enraged man walked right through her.
"Excuse me, but shouldn't you ask before you walk through me?!" Sirius yelled. Of course no one heard her. She snickered as she looked at Gonza. He was a middle-aged man with a bald head. He had a short beard and was very unpleasant to look at. The only dangerous thing about him was his the katana by his side.
"You there, wait! Firstly, I thank you for bringing us our wounded. But I'm not satisfied with the situation. You came within an hour after we arrived here. Furthermore, they say you carried a large man from the bottom of the valley, and came out of the Shishi-gami's forest..."
A woman running from the crowd interrupted Gonza. Her hair was wrapped in a white handkerchief and she was wearing an orange-red kimono.
"Kouroku, you're alive?!
"Toki! My little flower!"
Toki ran over the wounded ox-driver with a happy look on her face. The smile quickly disappeared when she saw the bandages.
"You're wounded! How are you going to drive the oxen now?! And how will we eat?!
"But my little flower..."
"Don't you little flower me. You might as well have been eaten by the Yama-inu!
At least I could find a better husband then," Toki yelled.
"Sweetness, could we discuss this later," Kouroku blushed. All of his friends were laughing as his wife chewed him out. Sirius gave a small smile.
"Toki, can't you have your domestic quarrels somewhere else?" Gonza snapped.
Toki looked at him and snorted. "What makes you so great? Abandoning the wounded like that. What good are you as a guard? Once the danger is over you don't life a finger to help. You just lounge around giving orders!"
Gonza was taken aback. "That's not far," he said meekly.
Toki turned to Ashitaka. "Thank you stranger. My husband is an idiot, but he does bring the rice home."
Sirius couldn't hold back her laughter anymore and she burst. "In this day and age I thought the man was supposed to be head of the household!"
Ashitaka smiled under the mask "That's good. I was starting to get worried that I made a mistake by bringing him home."
Toki blinked and she burst out laughing. "Hey, you're probably really handsome. Why don't you take off your mask?"
"Gonza." A woman stood on the pathway. Her black hair was held back in bun and two strands hung down to frame her face. She wore blue silk pants and a maroon silk shirt decorated with yellow fans. A dark blue coat covered most of her body. Her face was pale and she wore dark red rouge on her lips. It was easy to see that she was of noble birth.
"I would like to thank the stranger personally. Please show him to my quarters after he has rested." She turned to the wounded ox-driver. "Kouroku..."
"Hai..."
"It's good you came back safely. I'm sorry."
"Thank you my lady," Kouroku bowed his head.
Toki turned to the lady, "That's absurd, Eboshi-sama. The fool is just spoiled!"
"Toki, please forgive me as well. It was shameful since I was with him, when this thing happened."
Toki just smiled. "It's alright my lady. If this happened all of the time, all of us would be looking for new husbands!"
The woman who stood behind Lady Eboshi cracked up.
"Really!"
"No mistake there!"
Lady Eboshi turned to Ashitaka again. "Traveling gentleman, be at ease and rest well!"
Lady Eboshi left; Ashitaka pulled his mask off and bowed his head. Sirius gazed at Eboshi's back as she walked away.
'She seems nice, but that is hidden by the musk of iron. I must watch her,' Sirius thought.
Toki seemed to be amazed by Ashitaka's face. "You're not handsome, you're gorgeous!"

Later that night the inhabitants of the Tatara Ba slowly packed away their work for the evening. Rice was shoveled out to people for the evening meal.
"This is the rice we defeated Moro to bring here, eat it gratefully!" the man who distributed rice yelled.
"Hurry up!"
Ashitaka ate the evening meal with the ox-drivers. Sirius stood in the corner with her eyes shut; she was a little annoyed about the gaping women by the door. They cluster around trying to get a better look at the stranger. A few of them wanted to catch his eye and take him back to their own hut.
"Where, where? Eh, that man?"
"Really, just like Toki said!"
"A good-looking man, isn't he?"
"Isn't he a little young?"
"Like that never stopped you before."
More giggling came from the doorway.
"Be quiet, won't you? We're holding a wake for the dead here!" one man yelled at the woman.
"As for good-looking men, here are some, too!"
Sirius coughed in the corner at that remark.
A woman put a hand over her eyes as if she was looking for something. "Where? I don't see any."
"Hey, stranger. Why don't you come to our place? Don't stay in a stinking animal pen like this."
The women's chatter annoyed another ox-driver. "What are you talking about? We put our lives on the line to bring you the rice you're eating! I hope your mouth rots off."
"Huh, who makes the iron that buys that rice?!"
"We tread the bellows all night long!"
Ashitaka turned around, "If you like, please show me your workplace."
Surprise looks graced the women's faces.
"Really?!"
"Well, we should put makeup on!"
"It's a sure thing! We'll be waiting for you stranger!"
The women left laughing, Sirius shook her head headed for the door.
"Danna, please don't take offense. In general, Eboshi-sama pampers them too much," a man with a white and blue tunic said.
"I hear that in a good village the women are high-spirited," Ashitaka stated.
"Still, I can't believe there are women in Tatara Ba," another spoke up.
"Generally, we should dislike having women here, because they defile the iron. As far as Eboshi-sama is concerned, she buys the contract of any brothel woman."
"She's a kind person," one old man said.
"Old man, rice is coming out of your mouth!" the man in the white and blue tunic replied.
"Although she's kind, she's a tough woman who doesn't care about laws or curses!"
"That's right, that stuff with the Yama-inu was nothing. We wanted to show you about the time she defeated Nago-no-kami, didn't we?"
Sirius stopped and looked back. Her eyes turned red for a moment and a picture of Inoshishi flashed through her mind.
"Tatari-gami?" she whispered.
"Nago-no-kami?" Ashitaka asked.
"He was an amazingly huge boar! He was the master of this vicinity. And then, no one could get close to the mountains. Humans could only bite their thumbs and look on enviously while seeing the mountains full of treasure!"
An ox-driver nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah. Since we had used up all the iron sand from these lower reaches..."
"All of the skilled people aimed to get there. Everyone was defeated."
"Our job is to strip the mountains and cut the trees down. The lord of the mountain became enraged," the man in the white and blue tunic added.
Sirius's eyes continued to glow red. Another image came into her mind and this one made her cry out in pain.
She saw Inoshishi/Nago-no-kami attack the men of the Tatara Ba. Logs of the dead trees littered the ground. The rage of the dead boar god surged throughout her body. The memory faded.
A drunk man started to dance in the back. Sailor Sirius's eye started to twitch as the men just laughed.
"Oh, he's gotten started, hasn't he!"
"That's when Eboshi-sama appeared here, leading her riflemen."
Another memory burned in Sirius's skull. The people of the Tatara Ba tried to defend themselves by throwing flaming arrows at Inoshishi. He just shook them off and gave his battle cry. Lady Eboshi suddenly appeared with her men. Gunshots filled the air and Inoshishi's body was poisoned with iron. The god howled in pain and the forest caught on fire. Inoshishi turned into a Tatari-gami.
Sirius's eyes returned to normal, but Ashitaka's arm started to swell. His hair rose up, and a small battle aura pricked around him.
"Danna, is something the matter? Does your arm hurt?" the man in the white and blue tunic asked.
Ashitaka's aura settled down. "No, I was thinking about that boar. Where did he meet his end? No doubt his resentment must have been deep."
The men just glared at him and they stared down at their rice bowl. Nothing more was said. 'Filthy iron, killing everything that is mythical or has ancient blood pulsing through their veins.' Sirius's eyes gave a faint glow of red as she marched out of the building.


Some time later, Sirius had explored the entire Tatara, from the bellows to the living quarters to a small garden closed to the workers. She was about to back to the men's quarters, when she saw Gonza leading Ashitaka to Lady Eboshi's chambers.
Gonza showed Ashitaka into an office, where the lady was testing some iron.
"Ashitaka or whatever your name is, sorry for keeping you waiting." She handed the iron plates to a woman. "It's good iron. The preparation for the morning shipment takes time. Let's take a break. Please tell everyone."
The woman bowed. "Yes ma'am."
Lady Eboshi looked Ashitaka over. "There are people who suspect you as an agent of the samurai or the Mononoke. There are many people who have set their sights on this Tatara Ba. Could you please tell me the reason for your journey?"
The youth reached into his shirt and undid the blue sleeve on his right arm, exposing the Tatari-gami's mark, which had grown larger. He held the iron ball in his hand.
"You should recognize this. This iron ball smashed the bones of a gigantic Boar God and caused its flesh to rot, turning it into a Tatari-gami. I received this scar when I dealt the final blow to that boar. Soon this mark will spread throughout my body until it finally kills me."
"Where do you come from? You ride a strange beast," Eboshi questioned.
"From between the North and the East, beyond that I can say nothing else," Ashitaka glared.
Gonza was infuriated. He grabbed the hilt of his katana.
"Bastard! If you don't answer straightforwardly, I'll cut you in half!"
Sirius's eyes flashed red.
"And what will you do now?" Eboshi sneered.
"I will ascertain everything with eyes unclouded by hate, and decide." Ashitaka's face remained expressionless.
"Eyes unclouded!" Lady Eboshi broke out in a hateful laughter. She was able to calm herself down. "I understand. I will show you my secrets. Come!"
Gonza was flabbergasted "Eboshi-sama!"
"Gonza, I entrust the rest to you!"
Ashitaka followed Lady Eboshi out of the building. Sirius's eyes narrowed as she past Gonza. "I would watch my back, Gonza, after all appearances are deceptive."
The senshi and the youth followed Eboshi as she walked past a huge building containing a steel-making furnace. Smoke billowed out of the furnace. Women were singing in the background as they pushed the foot-powered bellows. He paused for a moment at the door, he watched the woman worked and followed Eboshi into a fenced garden. Instead of following Ashitaka and Eboshi, Sirius ran off into the building to where the women worked.
Sweat poured down their foreheads as they pushed the bellows, up and down, up and down, up and down. Sirius put her foot on one side of the bellows and pushed. The women on the other side were bounced into the air.
"What's going on?" one asked.
Sirius continued to push down on the bellows, until her foot hurt. A smile slipped across her lips as she left the building and dashed back towards the garden. When she got there, Lady Eboshi was speaking to Ashitaka.
"Here is my garden, the workers are not allowed here. If you wish to know my secret, come."
Lady Eboshi walked to a building on the far side of the garden. A bandaged person sat outside the door with a small bird in a basket cage. She smiled at the person and walked through the door
"Sorry for disturbing you!"
Ashitaka paused outside the door for a minute and then walked in. More bandaged people were inside working on Ishibiya. The people were bandaged from head to foot, a few of them didn't have any hands or feet. A few of them were cooking rice in a small pot; they looked happy when Lady Eboshi entered.
"Lepers," Sirius gasped.
A lady handed an Ishibiya to Eboshi "We just finished making one."
The noblewoman fingered the gun and aimed at an invisible target. She pulled the trigger and gave a small smile.
"It's still a bit too heavy."
"And you say that while holding it so effortlessly," the bandaged woman answered
"Perhaps if you didn't hold it so delicately," a man suggested.
Eboshi gave a small chuckle. "I am not the only one who will use these. I intend to have the women use them."
"That would certainly be a sight."
She then turned to Ashitaka. "This is the new Ishibiya that these people designed. The ones from China are heavy, and hard to use. With this Ishibiya, we can crush both monster and armor-clad samurai."
"Be careful young man, Lady Eboshi wants to rule the world," the sick man chuckled.
Eboshi raised an eyebrow and smiled again. "I'm sorry for making you hurry. I'll have sake and the like delivered later on."
"That'll be splendid!"
The youth's hair started to rise up by an unseen wind. Sirius could see a battle aura spark around him. "You say that, not satisfied with plundering the forest of the mountain god and turning it into a Tatari-gami, you would bring forth more and more new hatred and curses with that Ishibiya?"
"I feel pity for you. That iron ball certainly is a thing I have fired. Damned foolish boar; if he would put a curse on someone, he should have cursed me."
That was the last straw for Ashitaka, his right arm started to move on its own and it reached for his sword. Ashitaka gasped as he tried to restrain his arm from killing the noblewoman. The lepers backed away in fright.
"Is that right arm trying to kill me?" Eboshi asked with a vengeful smile
"If the curse would vanish, I would let it do so. But even that would not stop all of the killing."
"Will it not subside until it has killed everyone here?"
The youth and woman glared at each other for a few seconds, their staring contest was interrupted by one of the lepers.
"Eboshi-sama, Osa-san has something to say."
A body moved under a straw pallet. Osa-san's face was covered in a bandage. He coughed and wheezed, until he could finally speak.
"Eboshi-sama, do not make light of that young man's strength. Young gentleman, since I am also a cursed person, I understand your anger and sorrow very well. I understand, but I beg you, please do not kill Eboshi-sama. She is the only person who treated us as human beings. She did not fear our illness; she washed my rotting flesh, and bound it up with cloth." Osa-san coughed.
"Osa..." a leper said.
"To live is extremely difficult and painful. I curse the world, I curse people, and yet I want to live. I beg you, for my foolish sake."
Osa-san coughed once more and he turned over in his pallet. Sirius kneeled down beside the man. She concentrated and her orb glowed once more. 'He is too far gone for me to help,' she thought.
Lady Eboshi led Ashitaka up a small flight of stairs, where she tested the new Ishibiya. On the mountain, creatures planted trees. Their red eyes glow like small orbs in the night, their arms and legs were spidery. Eboshi aimed at them, she pulled the trigger and a shot rang out in the silence of the night.
"They've come again? When night falls, they come back like that. Ashitaka, won't you stay here and serve us with your strength?"
"Is it your intention to plunder even the forest of the Shishi-gami?"
The lady smiled. "If the old gods are no more, then even the Mononoke will become mere beasts. If light enters the forest and the mountain dogs are calmed, this will become a bountiful land. If we do so, the Mononoke-hime may return to being human as well."
"Mononoke-hime..." Ashitaka whispered.
"She's a pitiful girl whose soul was stolen by the yama-inu. She continues to watch, trying to kill me. I have heard that the blood of the Shishi-gami can cure any illness. It may have the power to cure those who are afflicted with incurable disease, and to erase the mark of your curse!"
One of the lepers came under a hole in the roof. "Eboshi-sama, what might the result be?"
"It's good work. Just right to take over the world. But, it's still a little heavy," she smiled.
"Alright," the leper replied.
Ashitaka left the garden in a bad mood. As she always did, Sirius let out a long sigh. A song drifted on the wind and the youth looked up. He followed the sound, until it led him to the bellows. The song continued as he walked in.
"Hitotsu futatsu wa
(One, two,)
Akago mo fumu ga
(Even babies can push)
Mittsu yottsu wa
(Three, four,)
Oni mo naku naku
(Even an ogre would cry)
Tatara no onna wa
(The golden love)
Kogane no nasake
(Of a Tatara woman)
Tokete nagarerya
(Melts and flows,)
Yaiba ni kawaru".
(And changes into a blade.)
Ashitaka entered the room and approached the bellows. Toki saw him and grinned.
"It's you."
"Toki-san, please let me push as well."
"If you want to..."
The youth went over to the woman . "Won't you please let me take your place?"
"Oh...sure." The woman went over to join the other resting women.
Ashitaka removed his shirt, but left the sleeves on. He removed his sword, some of the women flushed. Ashitaka grabbed hold of a rope that was handing from a beam over the bellows. He pushed down with his foot and the women on the other side jumped up.
"What amazing strength!" they laughed.
"See? He is a good-looking guy," Toki stated.
The women laughed again. A girl's kimono flew up, she pulled it down as she blushed.
"Tuck in those kimonos ladies," a woman ordered.
The girl flushed again. Even more laughter filled the area. Sirius was hanging out in her usual corner position, arms crossed and eyes closed.
"If you strain yourself so much, you won't be able to continue, stranger," Toki said.
"This is really hard work," he replied.
"Yeah. We tread it for four days and five nights," Toki smiled
"Is it a hard life here?" he asked Toki.
"Yeah, but it beats working a brothel in the city, it's a lot better. Isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"We get to eat our fill, and the men don't lord it over us."
"Unless we want them to," one woman yelled.
Ashitaka nodded. "Is that so."
Outside the Tatara Ba, San and her two brothers looked down at the small city. The silence surrounded them as they walked down the hill like three ghosts. The siblings smiled at one another. Mice chattered under their feet. One of the Yama-inu growled and San patted his muzzle. She pulled her mask over her face and straightened her fur cloak.
Back at the fortress, Ashitaka was about to leave the bellows.
"You're leaving tomorrow? It'd be nice if you stayed longer. You could work here!
"Thank you. Bu there is someone I need to find in the forest." He suddenly turned around. "She's coming!"
Sirius's orb started to glow once more. "Mononoke-hime..."
The woman just gave him a blank stare.
The wolves raced towards the wooden fortress. San head her spear outstretched as they ran.
"It's the Mononoke-hime!" a guard yelled.
The man grabbed a hammer from the wall and smashed it against a plate of iron hanging from the watchtower. The clanging alerted the whole village. San and her brothers circled the Tatara; the clanging was like an eerie music that San danced to as she held her spear outstretched.
"What the..." Sirius jumped up on the rooftops.
The wolf that San was riding ran towards the fortress as if he was going to ram it. He slammed against the wall and the wolf-girl was catapulted over the fortress. She stabbed her spear into the wall and used it to jump on top of the fortress.
The guard swung at her with a club, but she quickly evading him. She hopped over his head and other guards tried to hit her.
People raced back and forth gathering weapons preparing to attack Mononoke-hime.
"Everyone defends the Tatara Ba!" The man in the white and blue tunic handed spears out to the villagers.
San jumped off the wall and landed on the ground. Ashitaka ran to the spot followed by riflemen bearing torches.
"It's the princess!"
San pulled out her dagger and started to attack Ashitaka.
"Stop it! I'm a friend!" He blocked her with his sword.
The girl pulled her dagger away, she swung it back and forth and jumped up onto the rooftops.
"She's going to attack Lady Eboshi!"
The villagers ran towards Eboshi's chambers. Ashitaka scrambled up two pieces of lumber stacked against a wall and clambered after San, crumbling the roof as he ran. Sirius was jumping over the rooftops as well; she was able to keep up with her masked twin.
On the ground Gonza was yelling orders "Reinforce the beacon fire! Riflemen fortify the wall and don't let her escape outside!"
"Don't stray from your posts. Don't get flustered!" the man in the white and blue tunic ordered.
In the furnace building the women were still pumping the bellows.
"She's up on the roof!"
Toki took command "Don't make a fuss! Keep on pushing without rest. If we let the fire go down, we won't be able to recover it!"
Lady Eboshi came out her quarters, Gonza walked up to her.
"Is she alone?" she looked at the roofline.
"Yes, it seems that she's completely cornered. I guess she's aiming for you, Lady Eboshi."
"There's no other way. Come."
Two women emerged from the quarters carrying the new Ishibiya model. Eboshi led the women into the center of the crowd.
"Mononoke-hime, can you hear me? I am right here. If you wish to avenge the harm we inflicted upon your clan, there are people here as well who are resolved to revenge themselves upon you for the deaths of their husbands by the wolves!"
A woman named Kiyo yelled into the night. "Come out, we'll settle it this very night!"
Sirius looked down at the crowd from the furnace building. Her left eye twitched as the fires from below cast their gentle radiance onto the roof. San crouched beside her bearing her dagger. Suddenly she stood; the light radiated from her making her seem like a ghost.
"This is crazy!" Ashitaka said to himself from a lower roof.
"She's appeared!"
"There she is!"
"Clear the way in front, or you'll be hit by a stray bullet!" Gonza commanded.
Riflemen walked across the wall and crouched down with their guns aimed at the wolf-girl.
Ashitaka started to wave his arms to catch San's attention.
"It's a trap! Stop it! Princess of the Yama-inu, go back to the forest! Don't die for nothing! To retreat is also courage. Go back to the forest!"
"That guy! Just as I expected. Should we do something?" Gonza asked his lady.
"Let him do as he likes."
A wolf howled in the distance and San ran down the rooftop, Ashitaka headed in her direction, hoping to stop the meaningless fight. Not too far behind Sirius chased the princess. A sudden brigade of iron balls showered on top of San. The roof exploded near Ashitaka, the splinters tore his skin. They hit San and she started to roll down the roof.
"We did it, she's falling!" Gonza cheered.
Lady Eboshi shook her head "Don't move. A Yama-inu can still bite, even if it's only a head. Aim when she's fallen."
"Hai." The women nodded.
San fell to the ground, before Sirius could attempt to grab her. The senshi dug her boots into the clay tiles of the roof and skidded to a halt.
"Fire!"
Irons balls were blasted from the guns, one hit San in the face and her clay mask shattered to pieces. The impact made her pass out, Gonza and his men rushed forward with their blades drawn. As this was going on, Ashitaka was pulling a support beam from the roof.
"Don't move!" He hurled it at the troops to stop them in their tracks.
"Ow! Where did that beam come from?!"
Ashitaka jumped down from the roof and shook San by the shoulders.
"Come on wake-up! Please wake-up!"
The wolf-girl opened her eyes and blinked. She growled and attacked her rescuer with her dagger. She was able to cut him below his left eye. San pulls away from Ashitaka and ran at Eboshi. They men blocked her, but she hurled herself into the air and got momentum by landing on Gonza's head. Sirius can't help but crack a smile, but it quickly turned back into a frown as San rushed toward Lady Eboshi. People surround the girl as she attacks. San rips out her dagger, but Eboshi blocked with her katana, she quickly pulled out a small knife, concealed in her sash, and thrust it her enemy, who dodged.
"Stop it!" Ashitaka yelled.
The crowd begins to yell and curse at the fight.
"Kill her!"
"She's a mouse in a bag!"
"Don't let her escape!"
"What's wrong with you, princess?"
"She went there!"
"Don't shoot!"
Being San's landing pad knocked out Gonza. A man was shaking him awake.
"Lord Gonza, please wake up."
"Don't worry about me, go!"
"Hai!" the man ran away.
Ashitaka watches the fight away from the crowd. His anger starts to boil within him. His battle aura sparks again as an unseen wind surrounds him. The worms carefully curl around his arms, this time they are visible. Sirius saw him, so she hopped from the furnace roof to get a better look. He slowly walks toward the quarrel. Gonza also sees the youth and is enraged.
"You! I knew it; you must be a spy for the Yama-inu! Halt!"
Gonza extended his katana. The worms grow bigger as Ashitaka moves forward. He bends the katana back as if it was made out of cheap metal.
"Please get out of the way."
Gonza gasps and moves out of the way. The youth pushes the crowd aside, he walks between Eboshi and San. With his newfound strength he separates them.
"What sort of behavior is this, Ashitaka?" Eboshi snarled.
Ashitaka's hand gripped San's arm, she started to bite it and growl.
"I shall take this girl's life into my own hands."
"I'm sure she'll make a lovely wife for you!"
"There is a demon within you. Within this girl as well."
The worms start to appear in his arm again. San stops biting at him and howls in fright. She claws at the air around her hoping to escape.
"Everyone, look!" Ashitaka held out his arm "This is the manifestation of the hatred and resentment that haunts my body. It is a curse that rots the flesh, and summons death. Don't yield yourselves to this hatred anymore!"
"I'm getting pretty tired of this curse of yours, Ashitaka. Why don't I just end it for you!"
Eboshi slashed her small knife at Ashitaka's right arm. He knocked her unconscious with the hilt of his sword, before she could do anything. He does the same with the girl; he holds both of them on his shoulders.
"Lady Eboshi!"
"Someone, please take her from me!"
A few of the women put down their weapons and take their leader from the youth.
"Eboshi-sama! Eboshi-sama!"
"Don't worry. She'll regain consciousness soon. As for me I'll take the girl and leaving."
"Eboshi-sama, please wake up."
Ashitaka draped the girl over his shoulders and started to walk toward the gate. Kiyo, her husband was killed, aimed her gun at the retreating youth.
"Wait! You won't get away. How could you have done that to Eboshi-sama?!"
He stopped for a moment and gave Kiyo a deep look. He continued his walk to the gates. Kiyo staggered for a minute, but raised her gun again.
"D-don't move!"
"Kiyo, what are you doing!"
Kiyo is startled and she flicked the trigger. The iron ball goes directly through Ashitaka's chest, blood gushed from the wound and onto the ground. Sirius gasped and leaped over the rooftops to get to her friend.
"How can he still be walking?!"
Gonza recovered from his shock. "How is Lady Eboshi?!" he growled.
"She's fine."
"Bring my Ishibiya! Gather the riflemen here. I won't let them get away like this!" Gonza roared.
The youth passed the furnace building. Women rushed out and gasped at the wounded man.
"Toki, hurry!"
Toki came and gasped at the trail of blood dripping from Ashitaka's chest.
"What happened?" He only managed a weak smile in reply.
Finally Ashitaka reached the gates, Yakkuru dutifully followed his master. The man in the white and blue tunic stood guard at the gate.
"Danna, you can't pass through here; without permission, the gate can't be opened."
The man moves to the side, but two guards in orange tunics block Ashitaka's path.
"We beg you, go back," one whispered.
"You rescued our comrade. We are very grateful"
"We beg you..."
"I came through this gate this morning and I am going to leave through it."
"It's impossible. It takes ten men to open the door."
Ashitaka put his hand on the gate and started to push. Sirius vaulted of the roof, she watched Ashitaka for a second, and then she started to push the gate with all her strength. Blood still gushed from the gunshot wound and it pulled around his feet, causing him to slip.
The man in the white and blue tunic begged, "Danna, please don't. You'll die!"
A rumble was heard and the gate lifted off the ground a little.
"Oh, it moved..." the crowd murmured.
Then Gonza burst through the crowd with his riflemen.
"Get out of the way!" The gate was almost fully risen; two white figures approached the gate. "It's the Yama-inu!" Gonza searched himself for some flint to light his Ishibiya. "Flint, flint, flint..."
The Yama-inu stop at the gate and growl. "Stop it! Your princess is safe! I'll bring her out to you! Yakkuru, let's go."
Ashitaka turned to the stunned villagers for the last time and bows.
"Thank you for everything."
The youth and senshi are swallowed by the darkness. Both of them let go of the gate and it comes crashing down behind them, signaling their departure.
The man in the white and blue tunic whispered, "I wish you luck, stranger."