Princess Mononoke Fan Fiction ❯ Princess Mononoke Rebirth ❯ Vanity and Dejection ( Chapter 10 )

Vanity and Dejection

 

The sun rose early the next morning; the sky was painted in an oily scarlet color. The others were still asleep; Ashitaka, San, Sasuke and Kaya, but Motoko wasn't found in her room. She was already out in the pastel landscape of the forest; where there was a lucent cerulean lake near by, with a variety of fish to capture and eat. She tied her hair back with a small black ribbon and rolled up her sleeves, she let down her leather shoes, revealing her pale feet, and dipped them into the cool clear water. However, she wasn't in the water to catch any fish; she was in the water to think back to her memories.

This is for you, Motoko.

In her mind, there was a tall old man, quite muscled and thick in flesh. And there was she; younger than she is now, about the age of 16, she was wearing a pure white kimono with a dark red long skirt tied around her waist. The man held out a samurai sword, sheathed in its shell. She then grasped hold of it, seeing the diamond decorations on the handle. Her eyes glistened a little as she unsheathed the rapier from the shell and let reflect the sunlight upon her face. She smiled at it with joy, and then looked up at the man.

“Thank you father!” she gasped.

“It belonged to your mother, she wanted to give it to you herself but she has been busy recently” Motoko still smiled at him.

“You're going to be our new leader soon; you need an instrument of death to help you survive.” She sighed a little when she heard those words come out of her father's mouth; she looked down at the sword at again, and sheathed it back.

…korosu ne!!

-I'll kill you!!-

She then saw herself slam down a slide with the sword unleashed, and herself thrashing herself onto someone, but whom? Who?

She woke up again, and in distraught, she kicked over the water and stomped out of the lake, putting her shoes back on and dragged her feet back to the house.

By the time she reached to the slide door. She didn't make her way in. She still thought about what little girl Kaya said about her mother, it was something that disturbed her deeply; just by the name Eboshi. What is the link between them both? What sort of relationship did she have between them? Was it friendship? Was it partnership? Or was it something more? Something…more bonding…? Motoko slowly reached her hand to the handle, hesitating a little. But the door was then suddenly opened by Sasuke. He stared at her calmly, but Motoko sinisterly scolded at him.

“There's no need of that attitude with me; I'm not going to kill you.”

“Yet. How do I know you will keep your word?” She brushed past him hastily and walked on by into her room. Sasuke resumed his observation to her.

“Something's digging her up.” He thought to himself, and then walked out of the house.

Ashitaka woke up finally from his tiring dream, at least it wasn't another nightmare, but he still felt exhausted from the last night. However, he was prepared to be set out for another adventurous day. He put on his shoes and headed outside his room. Whist putting on his navy sleeves; he accidentally bumped into San.

“Oh! San.”

“Hi Ashitaka.” They both hesitated a little, they tried to move to one side but they kept getting into each others way, so San then grasped his arms and swung each other round to one side.

“There you go; there's no hassle now.” San chuckled.

“Right.” Ashitaka blushed a little and then turned to one side. He stopped for a second and thought to himself.

“San?”

“Yes?” She replied.

“I was hoping…can I…I…”

“Yes…?”

“…Can I…” He started to hyperventilate again.

“Yes…” San might have been hoping the same thing he was just going to ask him. What could it have been?

“…Can I…” He then sighed to himself. “…Nothing.” San then puffed out some air. “I'll see you later.” He walked away from her as she stood on her spot.

“Why won't he say it? Is it because I will get angry at him? Is he afraid of me?” she thought to herself.

…Baka…of course he's afraid of you; everyone is… A young girl's voice occurred in her head again.

“I said shut up!” San snarled at the voice.

…You can't shut me up; no one can…

“Then who are you?”

…you should know…we are very alike…

The voice disappeared again, with San standing in a solitary position.

Meanwhile, Ashitaka was also outside in the fresh air, his body was filthy from mud and blood.

“I need to wash myself, but where?” he thought to himself, and then he spotted some steam coming from another side of the houses. They weren't very far away; about a few fifty yards. So he walked over there; wondering if that was place where he could bathe in. He brushed past the bushes and a tepid pool. It was also accompanied with a stormy waterfall, the pool itself was purely filtered; not a spec of impurity in it, all he could see though it was a vivid color of marbled pebbles decorated on the ground, the ripples glistened in the sunlight as they shone off beautiful rays of light into the air, and freshened the air with a dewdrop smell that cleansed the sky.

“I didn't know there is hot springs here.” Ashitaka spoke to himself. He dipped his fingers into the water. “The temperature seems right.” He then slowly got himself back up and unrobed himself, unveiling his wound that is little by little, healing up. As there was then nothing to cover himself with; he walked into the hot springs and gave off a relaxing “aaaahhhh…..” into the atmosphere. He sat down, leaned his back to a rock and tilted his head to the sky.

“What's happening to me recently? What was that memory I had in Irontown? I haven't remembered that for a long time. Whatever it was, this should refresh me up now.” He gradually drooped his eyes and exhaled; maybe going off into another dream. In his mind there was pure sunlight in his head, and then San suddenly came fading in.

“Ashitaka…do you want to be with me? Why don't you join with me? It would be quite comfortable…” She warmly cooed to him as she drew herself closer to him. But then she burst into a bomb of dark vicious blood, and a young boy; at thirteen years of age, came out screaming whilst covered in blood and tears.

PLEASE STOP IT ALEADY!!!

Ashitaka suddenly woke up in shock, his face was already covered in sweat, whether it was his quick dream or the hot springs, he then became a little scared of this repressed memory he had at the back of his head. But he quietly relaxed himself, and crossed his arms as he brought his knees closer to his body.

“What is happening to me?” He spoke to himself again. But he abruptly threw that over his head and got back up, drying himself in the shade and clothing himself again.

The bath didn't refresh him at all, although he was clean physically; he still felt dirty in his mental brain. He walked on by back to the house; where then he came face to face with Sasuke. They both stood in front of each other for that moment, when then Sasuke held a hook filled with enough fish to last for three days.

“I got you guys' breakfast.” He said sulkily and walked into the house.

“Is he always this grumpy?” Ashitaka thought to himself as he followed him a few steps behind.

Sasuke opened the slide with San standing in front of him. Sasuke just nodded at her and walked on by, she saw Ashitaka coming up from behind him and smiled.

“Where have you been?”

“I just needed to bathe.”

“Well I was going to say.” The both chuckled as then walked into the house together.

As Sasuke walked into one the rooms; he saw Kaya awaken to see him.

“You got food!” she brightened up.

“It's just breakfast.” He moaned back. Kaya just smiled at him though, Ashitaka wondered about her behavior around Sasuke.

“Whenever he's with him, he sees her as a brotherly figure. I don't know…but it does seem like a possibility.” He thought to himself again.

 

Later on within the day, Motoko geared herself you with some trusty daggers and a pair of bullet-filled handguns to protect herself with. But then San walked into her way.

“Where are you going?” San questioned her quite startlingly.

“I'm going back to Irontown; I need some questions answering.”

“Then let me come with you.”

“No.” Motoko sternly spoke back.

“It's too dangerous to come with me, or go back home.”

“I can handle danger; I not some pathetic human who just let their enemies trample all over them!”

“San, to your enemies, your dagger is nothing more than a mere tool; you know that.” San didn't return an answer, but quite an angry look at Motoko, as if she knew she was right, but didn't want to admit it.

“You just make sure Ashitaka doesn't start bleeding again.” She walked out of the house with the door slit shut. San then sighed to herself in silence.

That's right; do this, do that, you're now taking orders from a human. How low do you really want to go?

“Stop it! I don't know who you are, so leave me alone!” She squealed to the eerie voice. Then a black image merged into her imagination, poisoning it with a black liquid substance that unpurified her.

Come on now, why can't it be like before; just the two of us, killing whoever or whatever that came our way…

“Shut up!!” She turned her head away and found Ashitaka staring at her strangely.

“San, what's wrong?”

“Someone is trying to…” She started to clutch onto her forehead with one of her hands, her eyes grew small and shaking with fear and her breath quickened its pace as she heaved in enormous amounts of air.

“What is it?” Ashitaka questioned her once more, but then she gasped and froze for moments. Then she slowly laid low her hand and returned silence.

“I think…I need to leave this house.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don't worry; I'll come back for sure.” She calmly answered back to Ashitaka and walked out of the house. Ashitaka was still puzzled from her unusual behavior then.

“There's something wrong with her.” Sasuke said behind him, leaning against a wall.

“Well of course there is.” Ashitaka hissed back.

“Not in that way; something is trying to take over her.” He got off the wall and tried to look in the direction to where San was heading.

“But how would you know? You're only human in the end.” Ashitaka stood firm but corrected from those words he heard from Sasuke, he then walked off with Sasuke staring at him behind his back.

 

Motoko finally made her way to the wrecked village. The wooden gates that used to be sweet timber, now smothered in black soot, with decorations of blood spilt on them. Motoko shivered a little, and then walked in with no fear. She already saw the massacre that Lord Asano's army had left behind within one night. She stared at the horror as she walked through the bloody graves of those whose innocent lives have been lost for one mans greed.

“My God.” She gasped. But she hadn't the time to feel sorrow for the ghosts; she had to find out the reason for this killing. So she ran up to head office, and lit up a candle to scrabble through the heaps of paperwork. It took her hours; sweat already began to drip down from her forehead, yet no matter how long; she will still search to find the source of it all. Until one faithful letter came along:

 

Sichigatsu 1192,

 

-July 1192-

 

The month the star festival; I still hold power over the Irontown, yet I still have yet to gain power to search for my eldest daughter…

 

Motoko paused for a moment, and then carried on reading.

 

…However, that must be put on a hold yet again; for I have new trouble upon my hands.

Lord Asano still holds an army against me, and threatens to ravage my town and kill my people. But that would be impossible since I weapons that make his obsolete. And I have Ashitaka; the one man I can fully rely on (apart from Gonza of course) and with his defense with mine, we are invincible.

But…I still have personal matters to sort out; my late daughter, Kaya. She had just returned from the island Kyoko.

 

-Actual island in Japan, go ahead, look it up-

 

She had just returned after living with her foster parents, Toki and Korokhu. I feel sympathy for them both, for that Toki can't have children, so I asked Kaya to see if she wants to stay with them for a little while, because I had work to do.

But not just for that reason, I still have to wonder how I'm going to tell her that Asano is her father. Every moment I remember his name I always regretted meeting or knowing him. I wish that I could have turned back the time to where I could still be with my first family. I hope that one day my first daughter will forgive me. But I'm afraid, when I die, my possessions won't go to her, but to Kaya.

However, I'm afraid I will never get the chance to apologize to her, since Asano is already sending me death threats to me. Hmmm…Kusoyara. So I sent out Ashitaka as my top soldier to watch out for any…dangers. He told me that he will come and kill me, I don't know what day or hour, but he will come for me.

So in my final paragraph, I will be prepared for what danger comes into my way. Even when Asano says “Give me my iron or give me my daughter.” It will be neither, because giving away my iron would be giving away my people. And too my eldest descendant; I will give her something even more precious.

 

Yours Sincerely,

Lady Eboshi.

 

“So…” Motoko spoke to herself. “…this is how it all happened. Asano couldn't get custody of Kaya, so he tried to snatch her of Eboshi instead.” She then heard rattling in a corner.

“I've been spotted!” she gasped as she shot up, gearing up one of her pistols.

“No…I haven't, yet I should leave.” She whispered to herself. But then she heard a conversation going on in the background, so she behind a secret room that was covered in burnt paper and soot. As she heard the conversation approaching towards her, so did two men. One man she was familiar with, one she wasn't.

“It's Asano!” Motoko whispered as she eavesdropped on their talking.

“Here it is; all the filth of that old hag's work.” Asano spoke

“Thank you, but do you have any information that you can give me?” The other man replied.

“What type of information?”

“Since going through Irontown, have you ever come across a young man with a red mask?”

“I'm afraid I haven't seen a man such as you described to me. But some of my Samurais did, they also said to me that he was with a girl.”

“A girl?”

“Yes; they said she was wearing wolf fur, with red wolf teeth painted on her face; almost inhuman.” The other man then a wicked smile.

“Find any witnesses and kill them, especially the young man. But bring me the girl; she is of value to me.”

“A wife of yours?”

“No…someone more precious than a mere wife, but I will tell you later. Get your men check the entire perimeter, and kill any survivors found. And don't forget, outside the area.”

“Yes…Keirtoro.” Asano walked off with his heavy samurai armor weighing him down.

Motoko had heard enough of the conversation and ran out of Irontown from the secret escape route she had once run out from before.

 

It was already dusk, Ashitaka was found standing outside of the house, looking into the forest; he was waiting for San to return to him.

“Where could she be?” he wondered to himself, he then heard some rustling behind him, he turned his head to his opposite direction and wondered what that was. Tension started to build in his veins, his mind started to blur with paranoia, and his skin started to dampen with sweat. Suddenly he felt someone grabbing onto his shoulder and flung him round. Then the person gripped him with her arm's embrace and squeezed him tight; it was San.

“San what's wrong?” Ashitaka panicked a little, San was blurting out tears and screamed out in pain within her heart.

“Help me!! Please help me!!” she cried out.

“What's happened?” Ashitaka question her but she was still grabbing onto him tight and blared out sirens of sorrow.

 

Ashitaka quickly brought her inside, and covered her in a beige blanket to stop her shivering. Tears were still drawing out from her eyes.

“San, what has happened?”

“…My brothers are dead.”

“What?” Ashitaka sat in shock.

“MY BROTHERS ARE DEAD!!” She squealed out and then brought back to her tears.

“I'm sorry.”

“There was nothing you can do; you were out of their reach. It is me who they should blame.”

“Don't say that!” Ashitaka then swung his arms around her and embraced her tightly to his chest. “Whatever happened; it wasn't your fault. You helped me from Irontown; their was nothing you could have done either.” San endured his touched and brought it to her heart.

Sasuke watched them both from the other room and looked with curiosity; his placid eyes looked at them carefully, and then walked away.

Then Motoko walked back into the house and saw Sasuke. They stared at each other for a bit but Motoko immediately walked into another room.

She placed down some of Eboshi's paperwork she managed to take from Irontown. She then took hold of the one she was reading before, with her lit candle still awake.

“…It won't be long before they will find us…” Sasuke's voice came from behind her; she quickly spun round to him.

“…The men who killed Eboshi.”

“I know that.” She calmly replied back at him.

“Its strange how you still manage to get on with me…” he spoke in an unearthly voice. “…unless…you already know…my statistics of my occupation.”

Motoko gripped onto her kimono quite tightly. “I know the quick and ugly version.”

“No, you're afraid you'll be crossed off.”

“Has it now entered our minds?” she questioned him spookily as she let go of all of her weaponry. He then walked up to her very closely; where their bodies almost touched. He stared at her firmly yet calmly at the same time, Motoko tried to keep a stern face but trembled slightly, he then made her back up to the desk behind her.

“I asked what you thought.” Sasuke spoke with flirt whilst Motoko hunched her shoulders a little bit.

“You scare me Sasuke. Is that what you want to hear? Now will you just let me get back to work?” She then swung back round and carried on ruffling her papers.

“I've been meaning to talk to you…” he walked up behind her again. “…unrestrained.” He reached up to her back again. “Do you think…that I should be in this group, or am I just a nuisance?”

“…Why? Did you hear anything?”

“Well…” He then resolutely placed his hands onto hers whist they were still on the desk. “…I know you've always tried to `X' me off your list; yet never released your full potential on me.” She started to shake a little, but Sasuke carried on whispering in her ear. “…Or you don't know that. You're not here to kill me. You may have those sharp blades…” Motoko clenched her fist within Sasuke's and started to hyperventilate. “…and that red stitching…but that's just a show…” He brushed his face through her luscious hair across to her other side. “…and I'm the audience. Why are you really here? What is it you have t-

“Don't…waste…my time!” she hesitated. “The fewer days I have to spend here; the fewer days I have to put up with you.” She rushed passed him and placed her weaponry onto another desk. But the footsteps just kept approaching to her, only this time he trapped her waist within his arms and whispered into her ear once more.

“I don't know how long we have to stay like this Motoko. But I do know; once the real torture starts…” She started to blush from his hard clutch around her. “…this psychotic fuck family to going to get torn apart.” Sasuke then immediately let go of Motoko and walked away; leaving her to shake.

“Do you ever wonder why you feel like something's missing.” He turned his head to her again. “Ask him; ask the man that killed the mother who wished to see you once more.” Motoko gasped and looked behind her, but he was already gone. She collapsed to the floor in wreck.

“He can see right through me…”