A/N: I found the picture for this chapter on a blog about mythical creatures, where it was credited to the Japanese painter and illustrator Ishihara Gōjin.

******

Tokyo, 1973

The disheveled young woman shuffled aimlessly along the busy street, drawing a multitude of concerned and judgmental looks her way. One person whispered to their partner, prompting her to stop and stare back in an effort to understand their alien way of communication.

"What... wrong... her... Akane?" The strange sounds that reached the young woman's ears had little meaning as of now. She turned away in annoyance and continued her journey to find a suitable lair, difficult as it was with two feet instead of eight. She'd tried to increase her speed earlier by scurrying on all fours, and it had led to surrounding lifeforms screaming and running away in fear, which was hardly the sort of reaction she wanted to attract.

Time lapsed by as the gently shining sun sank beneath the horizon and the streets became almost devoid of people. The young woman's stomach grumbled, yet she continued to trudge forward like there was no other meaning to life.

She lost her sense of direction in the darkness and stepped right into the middle of the road. A deafening screech sounded behind her, and she turned around, but it was too late. The hood of a car collided against her with enough force that she flew into the air and hit the windshield before landing stunned on the nearby footpath.

A blurred figure soon hurried over and helped her stand while uttering something cryptic, to which she simply nodded and gave a low grunt.

******

That was a close call, thought Kiyoshi as he put his car back into drive and began to transport his injured passenger away from the scene of the accident. She didn't seem to be in a good state, judging by her tangled hair and the bleeding from her temple, but he couldn't afford to take her to hospital and risk being convicted of another crime when he'd just been released from prison.

Which was a shame, since he could tell that she was a real looker beneath the grease, blood, and dirt. Perhaps, he'd be able to squeeze some special favors out of her if she survived the night. Of course, he would have to give her some medical treatment first and ensure she kept silent about this little misdemeanor.

He briefly took his hands off the steering wheel to remove his leather jacket and toss it into her lap. "Use this to stop your bleeding. We'll be there in a few minutes."

The young woman moaned and rolled her head towards the window without noticing the jacket. "Me. Tired. Hungry. Want home..."

Kiyoshi couldn't stop himself from laughing. His passenger had to be paralyzingly drunk for her speech to revert to such a primitive state. It would explain why she'd been stupid enough to step in front of his speeding car earlier. At her level of intoxication, people tended to lose not just all coordination and awareness of their surroundings, but also their memories. Therefore, he wouldn't need to worry about getting into trouble. As long as he was able to patch her up and get her out of his apartment by morning, everything would be fine.

They reached his place, and Kiyoshi brought the car to a stop. He helped the woman out and wrapped his jacket around her head to avoid suspicion before escorting her into the building with his arm around her waist.

She was on the verge of unconsciousness by the time they made it up three flights of stairs and approached his apartment. With a cautious glance around, Kiyoshi unlocked his door, then dragged her inside.

He tossed her body upon his fading and stained couch to focus on searching his drawers for first aid supplies. He discovered in dismay that he'd run out of antiseptic, so he resigned himself to the next most reliable option, which was to clean her wound with alcohol. He popped open a bottle of whiskey and poured the contents over a cotton rag that he then pressed to the side of the woman's head. She immediately grimaced and grabbed his arm with shocking force.

"No," she rasped, opening eyes that took on a golden shine in the dim living room light. "Must eat."

Kiyoshi frowned and gritted his teeth as he fought against her grasp. "Let me go. I'll get you something once I'm done."

The woman refused to let go, squeezing against Kiyoshi's skin until his arm grew numb. She started to sit up, which sent him into a panic. He shot out his other hand to push her back down, but she did the unthinkable, which was to sink her teeth straight into his right arm and rip at his flesh like some predatory animal.

Kiyoshi screamed as his own blood sprayed over the floor and couch. The insane woman pulled her mouth free, taking a chunk of his flesh with it. Then, to his utter horror, she began to chew, causing crimson saliva to ooze out of her mouth and drip to the floor.

With heavy breaths, Kiyoshi pressed the whiskey-soaked rag against his gaping wound and staggered to his feet just as his attacker also stood up.

"No," she repeated, striding after him while he made for the door. "Taste good. Eat now."

Her hand landed heavily upon his shoulder before he could twist the doorknob and make his escape. Kiyoshi's heart pounded even faster, and he turned to face her with wide eyes. "What are you? Some monster?"

The woman tilted her head, then pointed a finger at herself. "Human. Akane."

"Huh?"

She didn't elaborate further, instead springing forward to bite into his throat. Kiyoshi gurgled and flailed his arms, then fell away from the door. His thoughts became a jumbled mess as the life seeped out of him. He could no longer recall his location, his name, or even the identity of the figure looming over him and distorting into an unrecognizable shape.

A final wheeze forced its way out of his gaping mouth before his eyes glazed over and he was left to the mercy of a ravenous eight-legged creature whose sense of right and wrong revolved solely around whether she could secure her next meal.