live together, ever after!

A girl rode on a white wolf and walked in the forest; the moonlight blurred her beautiful face in a silver aura. The kodamas around her way were all shaking their heads and making voice “kata kata’ like a chorus spread across the forest. The girl came closer and closer, her mouth moved smoothly and said: “Ashitaka, you mean so much to me.”

Ashitaka stood beside an old tree with his best friend Yakul, he hugged the girl with his arms and said: “I'll always be near. Yakul and I will come and visit you...” The golden light came through the cloud which replaced the silver moonlight; both of them were bathed in it and hugged even tighter, Ashitaka fell a little bit itchy when the wind was blowing San’s hair and whisking his nose. Everything was beautiful and tender to him, the warm golden light; San’s smiling face, soft skin and the chorus of the kodamas.






Suddenly, the cloud moved and covered the light, the whole world fell into dark and cold. A blade’s sharp light blinked and stabbed straight to Ashitaka’s back. He pushed San away and held her wrist in order to stop her, then asked: “Why do you want to hurt me, San?”


“Because I can't forgive human for what they've done. They killed Moro and destroyed the forest.” The hate and suffering were shown in her eyes which fought with the love emotionally. Then she threw the knife to Ashitaka’s face the turned back into the dark.

Ashitaka warded off the knife and yelled: “San, come back, please don’t leave me, I love you so much!”


The cold water pours on Ashitaka’s face which woke him up. He jumps up and looks around, there is no forest around, instead the greenery covered the mountain and some tiny wild flowers bloomed on the ground with light colours. Yakul stands several yards away and concentrates on the grass eating. Monk Jikobou stands in front of Ashitaka with his weird smiling face and holds an empty ugly bowl in his hand. Now Ashitaka realises where the cold water came from.

“Um, what a romantic prince of last Emishi is there. Is it good with your daydream?” His incisor hole makes the sound weird, his red nose shakes following the mouth’s movement.


Ashitaka reels off his sword and points to Jikobou’s forehead, speaks with cut-throat voice: “How, How did you know that? Tell me who told you that? You’d better answer this question truly; otherwise I don’t mind to blood my sword.”






Jikobou picks his smile back and look at the sword with a strange face expression. Then he kneels down himself on the ground and begins to speaking in a smooth melody: “Prince of last Emishi, I am your servant who is always with the ageless strength named Jikobou, during 500 years my master and I travelled from east to west, crossed mountains and rivers in order to find the last Royal blood. And then I met you – the last prince of the Royal Emishi. Please forgive me for what I did before which may upset you and your friends. Please forgive the mistake which was made by the faithful follower of the Emishi relive fellowship.”


“What the hell are you talking about? And who are you?” Ashitaka draws his arm back and puts the sword into the sheath and looks at Jikobou with a wondering expression.

Jikobou slowly raises his head up and looks at Ashitaka’s eyes with sorrow, and then he raises his right hand up to Ashitaka and opens his palm. A light suddenly shines like a ray which blinds Ashitaka’s eyes; he closes his eyes and then opens them again to see what exactly it is? It is a purple blue crystal dagger necklace.




Ashitaka suddenly feels all the blood pumped up to his head and heart begins beating as fast as it could.

“What did you do to San? Where is she?” He feels his sound was shivering, he is afraid of that the answer will break his heart into pieces.

“Don’t worry, your highness, she is fine, I just picked it at that trouble night when night walker destroyed everything. However, I didn’t return it to her and carried it to compare with my master’s note because I had some question about it. Actually, I’ve seen it in that note before.” Jikobou speaks with a very respective voice. Meanwhile, he takes one piece of the white paper out of his bag and mates it under the dagger.

“So, what did you get from my sister’s dagger?” Ashitaka becomes even more confused but still keeps his hand tightly on his sword handle.




“Let me show you something magnificent.” Jikobou uses a sharp knife and cut his finger tip and drop his blood onto the dagger. The blood drop stays on the surface of the dagger which seems to be stuck on it.

“Now please drop your blood to it, your highness.” Jikobou requests Ashitaka loyally.

Ashitaka bites his finger then does the same thing as per Jikobou’s request.

Ashitaka’s blood also stays on the surface but slowly moves to the Jikobou’s blood drop. The blood merges quickly when they meet and are absorbed into the dagger.
Then the dagger shining with a blue burned light for a couple of minutes. When the light becomes weaker and weaker, some scripts appear on the mate paper. Jikobou picks the paper up and returns the dagger to Ashitaka.

“What is written on the paper?” Ashitaka asks.

“It’s our destiny, your highness.” Jikobou says with a shivering sound.

“Are you kidding? Our destiny? You must be crazy today.” Ashitaka turns back and begins walking back to the new iron town base which was rebuilt after the disaster. Yakul runs to him and follows.

“If you are not the last Emishi prince, you can leave. But if you are; this is the only chance to change your future with princess Mononoke.” Jikobou holds the paper tightly and watches Ashitaka’s back without breath, he is afraid that he will never turn back.

Ashitaka stops for a while and slowly turns back, after that he jumps a long distance and uses his finger pointing to Jikobou’s red mud nose: “How can I trust you, who do you think you are. All the mess were because of you”.

“Yes, I know that. That’s why I came back. Listen, I am the last Emishi wizard with the ageless strength. I know I did something really bad. But it was because I had an agreement with empire headmaster. That is I will kill the
Spirit of the forest, but the headmaster will help me to find last Emishi tribe and treat them respectively.” Jikobou does not look at Ashitaka when he speaks to him.
Ashitaka notices something slipped cross his face and dropped into the grass. They are tears; it made his face looked more ridiculous instead of sorrow.

“I was really tired to seek for your people, after my master died, I spent 20 years travelled everywhere of the country. Finally, the headmaster found me, so I think that his power may help me to find your highness more easily than my blind search.” Jikobou turns his face to Ashitaka.

“Also, have you seen something unusual recently? The power of the forest spirit is withering away. I know that was my fault. However, I am coming to remedy it. We don’ have too much time, we have be quick to transform his power to the new god. Otherwise, both you and he will die forever.” Jikobou hands the paper to Ashitaka when he is talking.


to be continue...