The young woman sat by the window sill as the raindrops pittered and pattered against the glimmering pavement. The lamp above her door lit a brilliant light, making the puddles glow like the starry sky she gazed at just the night before. However, she personally thought this night was much more beautiful. As she watched each drop drip to the ground, she became drawn to the small splashes they made. The sound that they made gave her the random urge to start to sing.

"Who's in the forest strolling

The birds and the bees sing Momiji.

The frogs in the pond are calling.

Momiji yes, it's true."

Momiji. That was the name of the boy she saw every now and again. She heard him singing that song every time he would pass by her house. He had a rather amusing appearance. She would stare at him from inside her home. As he passed, she would giggle, just slightly. She didn't really understand why he would wear a girl's uniform. Was he secretly female or just dumb? A question she asked herself sometimes. Either way, she found him to be sort of cute.

When he was out of sight, the woman would return to her daily chores. Cleaning after her daughter, setting the table for dinner, dusting the furniture, and finishing any paperwork she had to finish for the following day. Though this day was different. The woman called in sick the morning earlier, so that she wouldn't have to go to her job. Of course she wasn't really sick, but she was feeling a bit drowsy. It was enough of an excuse for her.

As the rain began to clear, she turned her attention towards the clock. It was late. She was surprised she didn't see the boy this evening. Perhaps he was feeling a bit under the weather as well. She sighed and stroked her long, elegant fingers through her thick, golden hair. She stood up and made her way to the bedroom. She placed herself on the bed. She curled up into a fetal position, placing the tip of her thumb up against her upper lip. She closed her eyes and let out tiny breaths. She covered herself in her warm blanket and rested her head against the pillow. She was tired. Very tired.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open. The woman let out a cry. She couldn't see anything. Nothing but a hazy, white color. She began to panic. She got up from her bed and started to call out to her child.

"Momo?" She called, in a frightened tone. "Momo! Where are you sweetie?!"

She bumped into something as she as aimlessly wandering. It caused her to fall down on her backside. A couple of scratches formed on her elbows and wrists, but it was nothing she couldn't ignore. When her sight returned to normal, she had a sudden ache in her chest.

A name. A name started to haunt her mind and it took control of all her thoughts. Her hands became shaky and tears began to drip from her weary eyes. She bit her lower lip and caressed herself as she leaned forward. That name was trying to escape from her lips, but something inside her didn't want to let it go. Then, a face appeared in her mind. A cute…no, a pretty face. She was just beginning to realize how much that face reminded her of her own child. And in some way, it was making her feel ill.

"Momiji…." She whispered, almost silently. "Momiji…..Momiji…."

She repeated the name over and over. And each time she would begin to say it faster and louder. It got to the point where she started to scream. Anger and fear began to consume her. She started taking and breaking anything she could get her hands on. She was blinded in rage as she continued to scream his name.

Then, just suddenly….

"Mommy…stops it. Stop it!"

She froze. She glanced downward to hear where the voice was coming from. It was so quiet, and yet she could hear it over the sound of her own screeching. She saw her daughter, kneeling on the floor. The woman's fingers were clutching her child's hair and there were small bruises all over her face. She gently released her.

"Momo…I….I…"

The girl ran out of the room as quickly as she could. The woman sobbed and she crawled towards the window where she'd been only a while ago. She pressed her hands up against the glass and scratched her nails against it. She gritted her teeth and her eyes winced.

"It's all his fault I'm like this, isn't it?"

She looked outside the window, and then froze once more. Outside was the boy. The boy whose name made her hiss like a snake when she whispered it. The boy whose beautiful face she believed hid an evil about the curse she was only beginning to remember. She stared at his innocent eyes and watched as they began to widen. It was almost as if he knew was she was thinking. He bolted away from the scene as fast as he could. This made her angry.

She quickly ran to the front door, slipping on the first jacket she could grab off the hanger. She saw the boy running and she began to chase after him.

"Get back here, you little piece of crap!" She was surprised at how fast she was moving. Perhaps her anger was pushing her towards him.

As she caught up to him, the boy fell against the pavement. He splashed into a puddle that the rain had left. He looked up at the woman. What she saw only fueled the fire of her temper.

He wasn't looking at her with fear, sadness, or anger. Only pity. His soft eyes gazing up at her made her spine tingle. How dare he look at her that way? Did he think he was better than her? She grabbed the collar of his uniform and began to shake him.

"How dare you look at me like that?" She shouted. The boy's face never changed. "How dare you! How dare you!"

The boy's eyes filled with tears. They dropped against her hands as he darted his eyes downward, away from her face.

"I love you…" He said, quietly. "I love you, Mom."

"Mom?..."

Just then, a hand reached the woman's shoulder. She turned her head to look at who it might be. Before she could see a face, another white flash reached her. She began to feel dizzy and it became hard for her to stand. She felt someone holding her, but she was slowly sinking into herself. She heard weeping and tiny voices talking to one another, but even they began to fade. She closed her eyes and moaned quietly. She slowly began to forget.

"Is she going to be alright?" whimpered Momiji.

Hatori stared at the crying boy and smiled. "Yes."