Tamamo hid and trembled in the deepest, most secluded part of the palace.
The musty air, unventilated for a long time, stung her nose.
Her beautiful clothes, layered several-fold, were sullied with dust.
"…Fall off. Please. No. I… I'm human!"
Tamamo was desperately pulling at her own tail.
An indescribable pain washed over her as ligaments and muscles stretched—an agony she had never before experienced in her life.
But the pain was of little importance to Tamamo.
She had to get rid of this part that should not be attached to a human.
"No. I hate this…. I don't want to die…."
Her pupils momentarily slit vertically. Her ears began to twitch.
Even in the utter darkness, Tamamo could see everything.
She could detect living beings beyond the thick walls.
It was the instinct of a youkai.
A power naturally inherent in the wicked youkai who harmed humans.
And youkai are always exterminated.
"Find her! If you can't see her, tear down the walls and find her!"
A man's voice echoed from nearby.
Tamamo curled her trembling body into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut.
*If I'm caught, I'll die.*
Then, the sound of footsteps began to ring out.
*Thump. Thump. Thump.*
Numerous stout men were passing by on the floor directly above where Tamamo was hiding.
"Huu... huuu..."
She couldn't breathe properly.
For fear of letting even the smallest sound escape, she couldn't even straighten her hunched posture.
The hellish footsteps soon faded into the distance.
When silence finally fell, Tamamo cautiously raised her head.
Light. It was seeping through a small crack that shouldn't have been there.
Squinting at the light she hadn't seen in so long, Tamamo carefully gazed forward.
"…Ah."
"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Youkai."
There, with his hands clasped behind his back, stood the strongest onmyoji, **Abe no Seimei**.
He was lightly tapping a purification rod against his palm.
The rod emanated a potent energy the likes of which Tamamo had never felt before.
She knew, instinctively.
This man had come to kill her.
Tamamo ran for her life.
"Kill her! We must kill her now, while she's in human form!"
The sun rose and set, over and over again.
Tamamo fled far away. She crossed mountains, and then more mountains.
The men pursued her relentlessly. They carried blades.
They formed an increasingly systematic encirclement, cornering her, and she cast off her human form one layer at a time.
First, to run faster, she changed her legs into those of a fox.
The men gave chase on horseback.
To push back her assailants, she changed her arms into those of a fox.
The men gave chase in armor.
To deflect arrows, she changed her skin into that of a fox.
The men gave chase, loosing arrows of exorcism.
"Hah….hah…."
Worn from the endless chase, Tamamo approached a lakeside to quench her thirst.
Her heart felt like it would burst. The world was spinning. She plunged her head directly into the water's edge.
As she frantically gulped down water, she suddenly realized she was lapping it up like a dog.
"…No… That can't be right. I'm human. I am…."
Her reflection on the water's surface was not human.
Sharp teeth. Vertically slitted eyes. Fluttering pink fur. A posture that crawled on all fours.
"Ugh… Gwaaaargh! Bleargh!"
Tamamo threw everything up.
First, she retched up the water, and then green bile.
It was disgusting. Her own form was so utterly disgusting.
The form of the beautiful woman her father had praised did not exist on the water's surface.
All that remained was the form of a youkai, radiating a malevolent aura.
But Tamamo was not even given the time to curse her own birth.
"There are footprints here!"
At the shouts of her pursuers, Tamamo once again began to sprint past the thicket.
No one knew where she was going.
"You must flee. Quickly."
Those were the first words **Sakiko-san**, who had shown up at my house unannounced, said to me.
"What do you mean by that…?"
"There's no time to explain. If you remain in the capital, you will be in danger."
While pulling me to my feet with one hand, she began to pack a few simple clothes and some food into a bundle.
At first, I thought she was joking. But her expression was so serious that I couldn't say a word.
I simply waited for her to finish all the preparations and take my hand once more.
"Run as far from the capital as you can. Very far. Go somewhere no one lives and hide quietly. You'll be fine if you can just hold out for about a month."
"What on earth has happened?"
She stared intently at me.
Her gaze held so many emotions.
But if I had to name the most prominent one... it was pity.
"I'm sorry. I don't think I can tell you. It's for your own good, so please, understand."
"...I understand."
I couldn't refuse her words.
Disappointing someone once was enough.
And since I didn't have much longer to live anyway, I didn't want to leave behind any regrets.
"Is a month all it will take?"
"Yes. You might even be able to return sooner. As for when that moment is...… you'll know, even if you don't want to."
Leaving me with those cryptic words, Sakiko-san pushed my back.
It was as if she hadn't even considered the possibility of my return. I could feel that from her demeanor.
It was just a feeling, but a very strong premonition.
"Farewell."
"You say that as if we'll never see each other again."
Hearing my words, Sakiko-san shed tears.
I couldn't understand the meaning of those tears.
They were so very similar to the tears Tamamo shed just before we parted.
And so, I was even afraid to ask why.