[His eyes stare past the hands in his lap. And then his gaze trails along to the image of yamarashi, stark against his skin. He remembers a nightmare that he couldn't remember until he'd woken up in that hospital bed... nightmares of his tattoos coming to life, bursting free from his flesh. His mouth works for a moment, and he mumbles:]

"If you're not a monster, why are they in your head?"

[He stops, straightens his back.]

They used to tell me a lot of things. In my sleep.

... I'm not sure when I started believing so much of it. That it was all my fault. That I did everything wrong, and I was better off with them in control. But... they also said I was a detachable tail that would get torn off eventually, and I'd be left behind.

[He runs his hand over the tattoos on his arm.]

People talk around here. They try to say things to undo those feelings... And to be honest, a lot of it — I just don't know. I'm all mixed up. But... [He glances over at the Doctor.] I wasn't left behind.

["Sometimes actions outweigh the sinking feeling," is what he says in return.]