From: WRmistyRW@aol.com Author's Note: Here's chapter two! Hope you enjoy it. It's a little on the short side, I admitt but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless. Feedback wanted! Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the fic, just the ideas...and the names, I made for some characters, I guess. Chapter Two ~ Eyes of Mist Ash followed Ashitaka up a forest. Ashitaka was a very fast runner and Ash had a tough time keeping up with him. "Man.." Ash thought to himself. "And I never knew I was this out of shape." Pikachu, who was stationed on Ash's head, was urging Ash to run faster "Just a little further," Ashitaka said. Ash tripped over a branch. He laid motionless on the dirt. "Man, my lungs just burst open," he gasped. "Who threw that branch?" Ashitaka looked. Standing on a rock was a group of apes. Their eerie red eyes glowed unsteadily. Then, they began throwing rocks and branches at Ash and Pikachu. "Pika!" Pikachu growled, electricity sparking on its cheeks. "No, stop," Ashitaka warned. "What do you want, Ape Tribe?" The largest ape stood out. It spoke without moving its mouth and with a growling voice. "What is this stranger doing in the forest? I thought is was prohibited." "This stranger is our friend," Ashitaka replied. "Please, let us pass." "We shall let you pass, Ashitaka, but not that stranger. You are breaking the accord." "I am not, great Ape Leader," Ashitaka called. "Please. He will do us no harm." "Speak! What is your name?" Ash groaned as he rolled over to sit on the ground. "My name is Ash Ketchum." The Ape Leader seemed to consider this. "Ash Ketchum. What an.." "Odd name, yes yes, I know," Ash snapped. "I don't see what is so odd about that." "Do not talk back to the Ape Leader!" Ashitaka told him. "Did you not know that they are Gods?" "Gods?" Ash retorted. "Yeah, right." "ENOUGH!" the Ape Leader roared. "I will take no insults! Since you broke the accord, we shall also. We will devour him alive!" The apes gave a war cry and multitudes of them streamed out from the rock towards Ash. They flashed their sharp teeth and showed their strength by tearing down the trees. Then, they advanced towards Ash. "Get away from me!" Ash shouted as he brought out his knife. "I'm warning you!" "Foolish human," the Ape Leader laughed. "You cannot harm us with that knife." "Pikachu, thunder shock!" Ash commanded. "PIKA! PIK..." Pikachu was suddenly tossed away by an angry ape. "Piiiii!" Ashitaka leaped into the air, did a few backflips, and caught Pikachu. "Leave us in peace, Ape Tribe!" "Never!" the Ape Leader screeched. "You broke the treaty! TRAITOR!" Ashitaka got out a sword and held it out threateningly. "Do not make me use this!" The Apes pounced on Ash who was too weak to throw them off. They began biting him. Which hurt. A lot. "HELP, ASHITAKA!" Ash shouted as he struggled under the wrath of the apes. "SOMEBODY, HELP!" "Apes! I'm warning you!" Ashitaka said menacingly. The Apes continued to shout out and bite Ash. "That's enough!" Ashitaka shouted. He put his sword back and threw his head back. Much to Ash's surprise, he gave a big howl. Ash managed to see two dashing white figures rushing towards them. They screamed and started hitting the Apes off of Ash. Then, they chased them away. Ash's head dropped to the ground and he started breathing heavily. "Oh man..." "Are you okay?" Ash opened his eyes and realized that this was not the voice of Ashitaka. "EEgh! More Ape God things?" he asked, struggling to stand up. "Please, don't be afraid," came the soothing voice again. "Rest." Ash sighed and laid back down. "Ashitaka?" "I'm right here," Ashitaka said. Ash heard some rustling sounds and Ashitaka came into view. "Here, sit up against this rock." He helped Ash sit up against the rock. Ash blinked. Standing before him was not only Ashitaka, but two gigantic creatures and on top of the creatures sat two beautiful girls. "What are those? More deformed creatures? What are wrong with those Arcanine?" "Those are not Arcanine," Ashitaka told him. "Those are not pokémon. I told you. There are no pokémon here. Those creatures are wolves." One of them growled. "Deformed?" Ash gasped. "Oh no, not some more Gods?" "Yes, those are the Wolf Gods," Ashitaka said. "Who is he, Ashitaka?" one of the girls asked sharply. "Has he come to destroy this forest as humans have done years ago?" Ashitaka laughed. "You weren't even here when that happened." "I know," the girl replied with a stern face. "But I can feel the pain the trees, the grass, the animals all went through." The other girl laughed. "Yes, you can." Ashitaka said, "Please. Some manners. This is a stranger who means no harm. He has come from a world with abundant pokémon and does not know of our creatures." One of the girls sighed as she said, "I once knew a place like that." Ash studied the two girls. The one who was doing most of the speaking was the most beautiful girl Ash had ever seen. Unlike the other girl and Ashitaka, her skin was a pale creamy color instead of tan. Her orangy hair was cute short, just below her ears. She had blue paint on her face which was much darker than her eyes. Her eyes were blue...baby blue, soft yet acute. She had a small frame, yet she was not considered skinny. She was so beautiful... Ash then realized that he had stpoped breathing. The other girl was also beautiful, but as stunning as her friend. She had short black hair, big, wide, brown, eyes. She had red paint on her face, a little head band, big dangly earrings, necklace, and a lot of jewelry. She seemed more fierce overall. Her expression was just like the creature, or wolf, she was sitting on, whereas the other seemed more docile. The first girl looked at Ash with her blue eyes. "What's your name?" Ash didn't want to be told that he was odd again. Especially by this wild yet somehow tamed maiden. "I am Satoshi," he told her. That was the first thing that came out of his mouth. This made Ashitaka give him a look, but somehow he understood. "Satoshi," the girl with the orange hair smiled. "Nice name. It doesn't seem to suit you, though." Ash was nervous as sweat began forming around his brow. What made it so that this girl could make him feel this way? Did she know? Did she know that this wasn't his name? He was now Satoshi...not Ash. Satoshi looked at the girl. "And who are you?" The girl stared back at him with her icy blue eyes. "That is not important." She looked at Ashitaka. "Are you sure we can trust him? There is something about him....something deceiving. I don't like it." Ashitaka nodded. "Yes, we can. Time will tell, though. Please, he has a Pikachu." The girl with black hair said, "I'm afraid I do not know of Pikachus as well as you, sister." The orange head glared at Satoshi. "Let me see your Pikachu. Now." "No!" Satoshi said angrily. "Don't touch it!" Pikachu jumped from Ashitaka's arms onto Satoshi's head. "Pikaaa!" Elextricity sparked from its red cheeks. Then, Pikachu twitched its ears and started to sniff the air. "Pika?" Pikachu was utterly confused. "What is it, buddy?" Satoshi asked. "Pii..." Pikachu shrugged its chubby shoulders. "Buddy?" the girl with orange hair laughed. "Is that the name for your Pikachu?" "No!" Satoshi defended aggresively. "Pikachu is my friend!" "Let me see it," the girl urged. "No." "See wants to see it," the wolf growled. "Give it to her. Now. Or else I will have a most fulfilling dinner." "Don't eat him, Sutaru Jinchianu," the girl with black hair said. "He's just being a human." "I say eat him if he doesn't give me his Pikachu," the one with orange hair contradicted. "Wait, please, be in peace," Ashitaka interrupted. "Give him some time." Sutaru Jinchianu growled. "You said you were good with pokémon," Ashitaka said. "Try calling it." "Alright," the orange head sighed. "Pikachu, come here!" Satoshi was surprised at the gentleness of her voice. It was much different from the savage impression she first gave him. Pikachu smiled and bounced into her arms...almost as if it knew her. Satoshi couldn't imagine how. "See?" Ashitaka said. "I wanted to eat him," Sutaru Jinchianu said. The girl with orange hair patted Sutaru's nose. "Ashitaka is right. Be at peace." Then, turning to Pikachu she studied it. "I knew a Pikachu once..." "Pika?" Pikachu said. The girl sighed. The other said, "That is the past. Concentrate on the present." "Yes, I know," the orange head sighed. "Ashitaka, what are you means of bringing him up here?" "Well, he has come to Iron Town in search of someone. Perhaps one of you has seen her," Ashitaka said. "We haven't seen anyone," the black headed replied coolly. "You are the only human permitted up here. That is all." "Please, are you sure?" Satoshi begged. "We are sure, Satoshi," the orange headed told him. "Is that all?" Satoshi sighed. "I suppose." "But do you not find his Pikachu most intriguing?" Ashitaka asked. "Please, take a look at it again." "There's nothing else to see," the one with orange hair responded. She let Pikachu down. "Are you sure?" "Ashitaka, I think I am," the girl said impatiently. "Well he is staying in Iron Town for a few days," Ashitaka told the girls. "If you have second thoughts, please, call." "Thank you, Ashitaka," the one with black hair said. Turning to Satoshi she said, "We know you mean no harm, but one can't be to sure. But we ought to give you our names." "No, that's quite all right," Satoshi said. "I better be going back now." "I am San, the Princess Mononoke," the one with black hair said. "I live with the wolves. This here, is Sutorumi Shiruberu." The wolf San was sitting on growled. Satoshi noticed that Sutorumi Shiruberu was pearly white, unlike the other wolf. It's mustard eyes squinted as it went to study Satoshi. "Yes, that is me," it said without moving its mouth. "Oh very well," the girl with orange hair sighed. "This, as you might know, is Sutaru Jinchianu." Sutaru Jinchianu was a rimy gray wolf. It had a beautiful bushy tail and its paws were unlike Sutorumi Shiruberu's which were husky, large, and clumsy. Instead, her paws were delicate and smaller. "Yes, I'm the one who wanted to eat you." Satoshi sweatdropped. "So I recalled." "And me," the orange haired said. "I am Kasumi."