Princess

Princess (姫, Hime) was the founder and leader of Kokuboro, and their ultimate goal was to install her as the new master of Karasumori. However, because of her deteriorating health and impulsive attitude, Byaku kept her restrained and on bed rest at nearly all times.

Appearance
Princess has pale blonde hair with black streaks, pale skin, and green eyes. Her legs have weakened to the point where she normally cannot stand or walk. She is almost always seen with restraining collars around her neck, legs, and nine tails, likely as a safety precaution for herself and subordinates she might thoughtlessly harm.

Personality
Princess is as pampered as her name suggests, and often cannot think beyond her own needs and desires. She can be very childish, and only Byaku, her favorite and most devoted subordinate, can calm her down consistently. She has little patience for anyone else. Despite her condition (or because of it), Princess hates to be reminded of her failing health, or treated like an invalid, and is especially sensitive about anyone (even Byaku, at times) seeing her legs, which bear the most visible signs of her illness.

History
While it is unknown how long Princess has been active, she once lived in a land of golden grass called Kurosusuki, and gained infamy as "Kurosusuki's Demon Fox", to the point where even Mamezo had heard of her. She eventually came to and created her own entire dimension, calling it, the castle within it, and the Ayakashi group she would later found, Kokuboro (which is another way of writing Kurosusuki, as Shigemori points out). Oddly enough, Princess has no memory of creating or even desiring to create the dimension. At some point, Byaku appeared and challenged her with his army of demon bugs, seeking to obtain her power. Princess defeated him easily, and after examining him with her psychic powers, left doubts in his mind as to what he truly wanted. Byaku chose to serve her, much to her confusion, and she agreed to transform him into an Ayakashi if she was ever able to run through the fields of Kurosusuki again. Byaku is the only subordinate that Princess has regular contact with, and he commands all of Kokuboro on her behalf, as she is either too incapacitated or uninterested in doing so.

Byaku's Plan
Within her castle, Princess complains to her servant Byaku of being bored. She tells him to hurry and give her Karasumori. She is annoyed that he has been spreading rumors about the land, and is concerned someone else may try to take it. Byaku is confident no one else would be able to handle the land's power, and that anyone making large movements would be quickly exposed. He promises to deliver Karasumori to her. In a meeting of Kokuboro's leaders, Byaku stresses that they are running out of time: their land is weakening because it is tied to Princess, whose health is also declining. He orders Aihi to focus on extending Princess's life.

Battle of Karasumori
In Kokuboro's first mass assault on Karasumori, Byaku includes Princess in the invasion force, intending to conquer the land and install her as the new master in order to restore her health. Princess remains in a bed carried by one of Byaku's larger bugs, while Byaku and Shion observe the battle from the front of the carriage. After Gagin is defeated, Princess falls ill, (in the anime, she grows impatient and tries to conquer the land on her own over Byaku's protests. Karasumori itself repels Princess, and the sheer power of the backlash greatly weakens her ). Byaku immediately commands the army to retreat so that Princess can receive treatment from Aihi. Back at the castle, Aihi proclaims Princess's condition to be stable, but adds that she can no longer be moved.

Hekian's Findings
After Hekian investigates both the Colorless Swamp and Karasumori directly, Byaku shares his findings with Princess, who at first appears largely uninterested. Byaku explains his theory that Karasumori was created by a powerful Kekkaishi long ago, which would explain why the current Kekkaishi still bear the Houin Mark that signifies their bond with the land. After hearing this, Princess decides that the Kekkaishi are worthy of her interest.

Fall of Kokuboro
Some time after Byaku's defeat at the hands of Heisuke Matsudo and Kagami, Princess begins to call for him. Growing impatient when he fails to respond, she climbs out of bed and drags herself into the hallway. In the process, she encounters Yoshimori. Though she is at first afraid he will attack, Yoshimori mistakes Princess for another prisoner of Kokuboro, and quickly destroys her restraints so that she can escape. Puzzled by his kindness, Princess seizes Yoshimori with her tails, paralyzing him while she reads his mind. She briefly considers killing him for trying to destroy her castle, but then decides she might be better off that way, and releases him. Upon waking up, Yoshimori is extremely confused, so Princess plants a mental map of her castle in his head, tells him to use his power however he wants, and sends him away. By the time Tokine comes along the same hallway moments later, Princess has vanished.

Princess later finds herself trapped in the castle's lower levels. She witnesses Yoshimori's Shinkai, and is amused that he used his power for protection instead of destruction. However, she notes that using her power has shortened her life. Byaku later comes to find her, somehow healed by Princess's will. She orders him to leave, not wanting him to see the further weakened state of her legs. Byaku instead carries her out of the rubble on his back, taking her out of the castle. Princess uses the last of her power to transform the terrain into the golden fields of Kurosusuki, reverting to her fox form afterward. Byaku stays with her as the dimension finally collapses around them.

Powers & Abilities
Though Princess's body is frail, she is immensely powerful and does not always seem to know her own strength. The simple act of her spitting out a grape more closely resembles the impact of a gunshot.

Nine Tails: Princess's nine tails reflect her mood: normally, they remain motionless, but when she becomes upset, they writhe about like snakes, and can be used to bind or attack opponents directly. In the anime, they can also extend to impossible lengths and produce lightning.

Dimension Manipulation: Princess is credited with creating both the alternate dimension and the castle that Kokuboro resides in, but does not recall ever having a desire to make either. Byaku theorizes that Tokimori Hazama had a similar ability to create space, and that this is how Karasumori was created. Her dying act is to transform the rocky terrain of Kokuboro into the golden fields of her former home.

Psychic Powers: Princess is able to physically paralyze, read the minds of others, and implant mental images into the minds of those she is in physical contact with. She implants a mental map of her castle in Yoshimori's head, so that he knows how to reach any destination within it.

Majestic Aura: Unlike most Ayakashi, Princess usually does not have an evil aura that can be sensed (unless she is extremely angry, at which time her evil aura is enormously powerful). Instead, those who encounter her only feel as if they are in the presence of royalty.

Healing: After Byaku is defeated by Heisuke and Kagami, Princess is able to heal him, apparently through sheer will, as she was nowhere near him at the time, and takes credit for it when Byaku returns to her.