A/n: I know it's been over a month in between chapters, but I got pretty recent reviews saying that I need to continue with the story. And I shall do so, my lovelies. I promise I don't plan on leaving San and Ashitaka in that dungeon forever. This story is getting close to the end, but I will let you all know when that part comes. For now, keep reading and reviewing like the awesome people you are! I appreciate it so much! Kirsten

San's grip did not loosen around Ashitaka's throat. He had no idea why she was trying to strangle him, but he knew that he had to act fast or he would soon be very dead. However, getting her off of him would injure her further, which wasn't something he wanted to do. Yet, he had no choice. Mustering the very last of his strength, Ashitaka raised his knee to San's gut.

"So…sorry…San," he gasped weakly before ramming his knee into her stomach. The force of the blow was enough to propel San off of him and she flew back a few feet, hitting her head against the hard, sod wall. She fell unconscious to the floor while Ashitaka greedily sucked air into his lungs and coughed. He managed to crawl over to San and he placed his nose near her mouth.

Asano must have placed some type of drug in her food! Ashitaka thought when he smelled a burningly sweet scent from her breath. That's why she called me a "demon" and tried to kill me. I must look like a monster to her. She'll attack me again when she wakes up. I need to restrain her in some way.

Ashitaka looked around his cell. There weren't any chains or ropes to be found, which was to be expected. Lord Asano wouldn't want his prisoner attacking the guards. His eyes settled on the sleeping mat. That would do. He pulled the crystal dagger from the secret inner pocket in his tunic. He quickly cut strips from the sheet part of the mat, making sure that the cloth was strongly woven before turning back to San who was still knocked out on the floor. Ashitaka carefully checked her head for any bumps or bleeding before tying the cotton strips tightly around her wrists and ankles. Tears fell silently from his eyes as he restrained the girl that he loved. San began to stir as he picked her up and carried her over to the sleeping mat. She came to as he knelt down to place her body on the mat. She began to writhe around in an attempt to fight him off.

San found herself lying down on a huge patch of red fire and white snakes. More white snakes were twined around her wrists and ankles. She looked about the place she was in and saw black blood dripping slowly down the wall, oozing towards her. The monster was standing across from her, staring at her with red eyes, keeping its blue, scaly wings and brown, furred legs still. She tried to stand up, but the snakes were gripped tightly around her limbs, keeping her down. Even though San couldn't fight the demon physically at the moment, she could still yell at it to keep it from intimidating her.

"You can't keep me down forever, demon! I'm stronger than you think I am and I will get these snakes off of me and kill you!"

"I know, San. I'm so sorry that I had to restrain you," the monster said regretfully. Even though its eyes burned and its black fangs were sharp, the voice coming from the monster wasn't as deep as San was expecting to hear. That detail confused her along with the fact that the monster was sorry for her predicament. She had never come across a sympathetic demon. It had to be some kind of trick.

"You're not sorry for me at all," she scoffed. "You're just trying to trick me with your words. Only stupid humans would fall for that. I am a wolf!"

The demon didn't say anything further. It just sat down, settling against one of the walls oozing black blood. San glared at it and yelled words that no other human female would say. Eventually, her voice became hoarse from the yelling and she quieted down, just contending herself with glaring her fiercest at the silent demon.

Ashitaka watched silently as San struggled against the temporary restraints. He didn't even flinch when she yelled the vilest things at him. He wanted to help her, but he knew that trying to hold her by the shoulders to keep her still or touching her in any way would only make things worse. Ashitaka wasn't fully aware of her physical condition and the last thing he wanted was to aggravate the wounds and injuries she had already sustained. He could only wait for the drugs to work their way through her body. The night was turning into a long one, but the last thing Ashitaka was going to do would be to fall asleep while his San struggled through her own nightmare. He hoped that when she was herself again, he could help her then.

Slowly, awareness came back to San. The walls began to look less like black blood dripping and more like hard sod. The patch of fire and white snakes she was lying on started to resemble a white sleeping mat with torn sheets and a red blanket. And the demon across the room from her slowly morphed back into Ashitaka. San's vision cleared as the last traces of the drugs left her body. She kept her eyes on Ashitaka as he slowly stood up and began to untie the cotton strips around her wrists and ankles. Suddenly, nausea overwhelmed her and she needed the bucket for human waste.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she whispered tightly to Ashitaka as he began to untie her ankles. He stopped his movements and grabbed the bucket. Luckily, it had been cleaned. He placed it in front of San and stepped out of the way just in time. She retched into it. She felt Ashitaka untying her ankles before he moved to sit next to her and gently braced his hands against her upper and lower back as she threw up to steady her. San felt like all of the contents of her stomach ended up in that bucket. When nothing was left but dry heaves, she slowly turned to face Ashitaka. Tentatively, he reached over and gently stroked a piece of hair that had fallen loose from the band around her head out of her face.

"Do you need anything?" he asked softly.

"Water," she said, scarcely above a whisper. Her voice was cracked from the yelling and the throwing up. Ashitaka stood up and brought her the pitcher. There weren't any cups. San grabbed it from him and slowly drank from it. It was hard to manage and water spilled onto her clothes and face. When she set the pitcher down, it was halfway drained. San sat back and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. She felt a cool wet cloth moving gently around her mouth and opened her eyes. Ashitaka was wiping away the vomit from her face with one of the cotton strips. He balled it up and threw it into the corner when he was done.

"Thank you," she told him her voice a little bit stronger.

"You're welcome," he said. San peered intently at him, noticing the red marks on his neck. She did not remember seeing those before. She reached out to touch them, but Ashitaka drew back from her.

"How did you get those red marks?" she asked, scared of the answer.

"You were under some type of drug that Asano put in your food. The guards brought you in here with a black bag over your head. When they removed it and you saw me, I looked like some kind of demon to you."

San heard his words and realization about what she could have done to someone who meant so much to her came through. Her hands flew to her mouth as she gasped in horror.

"Did…did I try to…to…kill you, Ashitaka?" she asked, her voice breaking. He nodded and San saw the truth in his eyes. Her face crumbled and she could feel tears starting to come. She turned away from Ashitaka and her body shook with hot, silent sobs. She was surprised that she could muster tears from all the dehydration her body just went through, but they still fell from her eyes. The sobs became louder and San stood up while still keeping her back to Ashitaka. She suddenly punched the hard sod wall in frustration but all that did was made her hand hurt. She heard Ashitaka standing up behind her and she turned to him, lowering her hands from her face. San saw that he was crying too, although much more quietly. She threw her arms around him and this time, he didn't pull back from her approach. He held her tightly against his chest as they wept together. When they calmed down, Ashitaka let go of San briefly to sit down with her again on his sleeping mat. He reached over and gently wiped the tears away from her face with his fingers and thumbs. San closed her eyes, feeling peace settle over her briefly. When he removed his hands, her eyes flew open and she embraced him again. Ashitaka rubbed her back and left little kisses on the scars on her neck and shoulders left by the tortures that had been administered on her body. Still keeping her arms around him, San drew back a bit to talk.

"Ashitaka, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I could have killed you and I don't expect you to forgive or ever trust me again."

"San, I'm not angry with you. The person responsible for all this is Asano. I still love you and I'm sorry too for adding to your injuries by using my knee to thrust you back into that wall."

San was taken aback by Ashitaka's words. She knew that he was kind, gentle, and patient, but she hadn't expected to be forgiven so readily and to hear that he still loved her.

"You still love me? Even after tonight and what I tried to do to you?" she asked tentatively. Ashitaka placed his hands gently on her shoulders and suddenly kissed her with all his strength. San was surprised, but she returned it just as strongly and she didn't resist when he pulled her onto his lap. When they broke apart for air, she could see him looking at her with love, protection, and a determination that was new to her in his eyes.

"When the guards check on us, they'll see that I'm still alive. We won't last tomorrow. Asano will definitely kill us. We have to escape tonight," he told her with conviction. San could feel her spirits lift just by hearing the courage in his voice and she knew how she could help him.

"My brothers have been communicating with me every night. They didn't find any secret entrances or tunnels, so we're going to have to fight our way out. However, if I can tell them our plan, then they'll take care of any guards outside of the prison who come and try to help those inside."

"How are we going to trick the guards though when they first come in? Somehow, we have to get their weapons."

San looked closely at the sod wall. It wasn't as solid as she was expecting and she saw holes that would make good handholds and footholds. She turned back to Ashitaka who was looking at her in a puzzled way after her inspection.

"If I can climb the wall near the door, I can hide up there and jump down on the guards when they come in. I'll use the crystal dagger to slit their throats and if we put the sleeping mat in the spot where they'll fall, it should muffle some of the noise. You'll have to pretend to be dead, Ashitaka."

It wasn't the best or most safe plan in the world, but Ashitaka nodded his consent. San looked towards his window and saw that it was much higher than the one in her cell. She could never reach her brothers by just standing on the tips of her toes.

"Do you think you could lift me up to that window so I can let my brothers know the plan?" she asked.

"Yes," Ashitaka answered and they stood up and walked over to the window. He bent down a bit and San climbed up his back until she was sitting on top of his shoulders. Her head just barely missed the ceiling, but she was up high enough to reach her brothers. Luckily, she sensed them close by and she quickly told them everything that had happened and that she and Ashitaka had a plan to escape, but would need help. When her brothers got the message, they agreed to help and San felt them fading away from her senses as they drew back into the forest.

"You can set me down now," she told Ashitaka when she could no longer feel their presence. He bent down again and she carefully swung her legs to the floor and slid off of his back. Ashitaka suddenly caught San in his arms and just held her to him. She could sense how nervous he was; even though she knew that he would be fighting beside her when they escaped. She was just as equally nervous, but it felt good to know that she wasn't alone. He kissed her on the forehead before letting her go.

They dragged the sleeping mat to the entrance of the cell and tried to arrange the blanket to cover up the torn sheets. When they could no longer see the tares, Ashitaka handed the crystal dagger to San and she tied it around her neck. She climbed up the sod wall by the door and hid in the shadows of the ceiling. Ashitaka laid down on the hard dirt floor, completely still. He slowed his breathing to make it look like his chest wasn't moving. He closed his eyes and waited for the guards to come. The wait wasn't long. Just before the sun rose, they could hear one guard walking to the cell. The door opened and he stepped in. Ashitaka heard the guard coming towards him. His body was poked and prodded with a long spear shaft. He didn't move a muscle and when the guard seemed satisfied with his inspection, Ashitaka could hear him turning away. Ashitaka opened his eyes the tiniest bit to see the guard searching the cell for San. The guard never bothered to look up as he hurried towards the door of the cell. San leapt down from the wall and she slit his throat with the crystal dagger. The guard fell backwards onto the sleeping mat and Ashitaka rolled away and stood up. Both he and San winced at the loud, crashing sound of a fully grown man in heavy armor landing on a small pile of blankets and sheets. The sleeping mat had done little to cushion the fall and the hallway echoed with the noise. Ashitaka grabbed the guard's sword while San took his knife and spear. They heard the other guards hurrying towards the cell. A look passed between the two that said they would fight their way out or die trying. They jumped out of the cell together into a mass of guards better armed than they were. San and Ashitaka had to cut, duck, slash, punch, and kick their way out. Some of the guards had been drinking heavily the night before and some were worn out from nighttime duties. But there were others who were alert and ready for the fight. They tried to press San and Ashitaka back, but the two refused to go back into that cell. Stubborn refusal actually gave them enough energy to slowly fight their way up the stairs and towards the third floor of the dungeon. San could sense her brothers outside of the prison, fighting and killing any guards that came from the town as reinforcements. Just as she and Ashitaka were about to reach the daylight and her brothers outside, two guards cut her upper right arm and his left thigh. San slit the throat of one and pushed him over the stairwell while Ashitaka decapitated the other, sending the guard's head careening down the stairs. They leaned on each other as they stepped outside. Ashitaka helped San over to Otouto and made sure she was sitting securely on his back before he collapsed onto Ookami. He stuck the sword he had grabbed into his belt and held onto Ookami's fur.

"We're taking you two to heal and rest at the lake of The Forest Spirit before we go back to the cave," Ookami said.

"Won't…won't… Asano and…and his men find us?" San asked sleepily.

"No. The gods and spirits have guarded it well against them and they dare not venture into the forest more than they have to," he answered. He nodded at his younger brother and the two wolves set off towards the forest while the two humans allowed themselves to finally close their eyes and sleep.