"Oh..." San said, looking down, her face looking as if she were about to cry, "I..."

Gulping San, turned to look at him once more, tears brimming her eyes, "I wanted to see you again," she finished softly, as she dropped on to the bed.

"Why? You have no reason to…" Ashitaka said, turning to look at the wolf girl, who he had known oh-too-well.

"I worry about you, Ashitaka," San said, turning a little away from his stare.

"Don't," Ashitaka said, "I don't want you to worry about me…"

As he noticed she wasn't going to answer, he walked over to the wall, where his sword case was and picked it up.

Then, he walked over to the bed, and bowed. Picking up his sword, he said, "I'm sorry that I have to leave you, but I have to be on time for things, like dinner. If you'd like to come with me, you may."

San lifted her head, as her earrings and Kaia's dagger twitched in unison, and said, "Uh…huh…sure, okay…" as she nodded her head.

"Good," Ashitaka said, as he slipped his sword into its case, and put the cased sword across his back.

"Lets go then," Ashitaka said, smiling, as he helped San off the bed, walked to the door, and held the beaded and braided grass door covering to the side. As he walked outside, a group of Takahari women passed by, a few of them stopping when they saw Ashitaka.

"Hello, Ashitaka," the girls cooed as they waved at Ashitaka, who just bowed to them, as he did to San a few moments before.

"Come on, San," Ashitaka said, when he saw that she was ready to rip open their throats.

He put his hand in hers and began to pull her towards the town center. Stopping in front of a man and woman with their hair in buns.

"Well, if it isn't Ashitaka. How are you doing?" Toki, the woman in an orange kimono asked happily, smiling at Ashitaka.

"I'm sorry to bother you Toki, but San's going to-"

"OH! San! The wolf girl? Where is she?" Toki screamed, as she began to look around for her.

"I'm right here, Toki," San called, coming out from behind the curtain that surrounded the table.

"Well as I was trying to say, she's coming to dinner," Ashitaka said, smiling at the only person who was ever enthusiastic about San being anywhere near by.

Toki stopped smiling and looked San over carefully, "I hope you're not taking her looking like this, Ashitaka." She chastised, looking back at him with a concerned face.

"That's why we came to see you," Ashitaka replied, shifting his foot a little forward.

"Ah, I see…Come along, San…" the Takahari woman said as she grabbed San's wrist and pulled her behind the table. Ashitaka laughed when Toki pulled another curtain in front of the opening, and he walked over to Hiroku, who didn't know what his wife was doing.

"Silly women are, aren't they, Ashitaka?" Hiroku asked his old acquaintance.

"Hey HIROKU! WATCH WHAT YOU SAY, WE'RE NOT THE ONES THAT GOT LOST IN THE CLIFFS!" Toki shrilled, pulling the curtains open a little so that only her head could poke out.

"HEY! I didn't get lost! I fell when Marro pushed me off the edge!" Hiroku pouted.

"Mmmhm… That's what they all say…" Toki mumbled, as she popped her head back behind the curtain.

"Now, you two, stop fighting," Ashitaka joked, looking at Hiroku, whom had his arms crossed against his chest like a child who hadn't gotten its way.

It had been a long time since he had saved Hiroku in the forest and brought him back to this battle fort called Iron town.

Then, a muffled "OW!" broke him from his thoughts, which came from behind the curtain. Ashitaka looked over to where there once had been a curtain, nearly faint at what he saw.

The bed in Ashitaka's room is one of those flat futons. He didn't have to help her off of it, he was just being a gentleman about it.

I don't know what their official name is for them, but in this story, they are the women who work the bellows that first harassed Ashitaka during his visit in Iron town.