Another Princess

They call her the "Dream Princess"

I may be a youkai now, but I was strange even when I was human.  For one thing, I had an ability that was so unique and different it was almost magical.

I could remove dreams and nightmares from people.

At first, I was called a miracle.  The miracle of the Hime family, they called me.  But my talents weren't useful enough, not to my father, and my older sister was scared of my abilities.  Besides, there wasn't much I could do with other people's dreams.  It wasn't like I could have them myself.

So I lied.  I lied about the extent of my powers.  I told everyone that I could not only remove nightmares, but spin them into dreams.  I lied like the princess in Rumpelstiltskin.  And they believed me.

But I had no such talents, and no strange little men to help me.  So, I merely removed the nightmare, pretended to use my spinning wheel, and produced a dream of my own.  Yes, I could remove my own dreams as well.

For a long time I spun.  I made money for my family, and for my sickly sister, but I never dreamed.  Before long, I forgot what it was like.

To make matters worse, I had a clump of nightmares I didn't know what to do with.  So I kept them locked in a box under my bed, every night praying they wouldn't escape.

And then...he came to me.