Kaida was about to answer Mai, when a series of events occurred. Momiji, who had been talking to the lady at the counter and was just coming back, was not looking where he was going (as usual.) He did not see the puddle of melted ice cream on the floor. As soon as he stepped in the puddle, he slipped. He tried to keep his balance, but slid halfway across the room. He hit a nearby shelf, covered in chocolate syrup. CRASH! He could do nothing but sit as a tub of chocolate syrup plopped on his head.

At the same time, a little girl was walking to her mother on the opposite side of the room, holding a sundae, she had no time to move as Momiji fell, and tripped. The sundae fell on top of his head, ice cream, whipped cream, and all. To top it all off, the cherry had landed in the dead center of his head.

The room was completely silent. Then, in the silence, there was a small sound. A laugh. Kaida was laughing. She was laughing hard. Mai looked stunned.

"This is not funny! Momiji could have been hurt!"

"No he couldn't" Kaida laughed even harder.

Momiji laughed, too. "I bet I look pretty silly!" Then the customers to began to laugh. Mai looked flustered. The little 1st year began to giggle, but stopped when Mai glared at her. And even though everyone was laughing along, it was Kaida's laugh that stood out to Momiji. It was infectious and warm. Momiji was happy to hear her laugh, because he was sure she did not do it often.

As they where walking back out, Momiji still covered in ice cream, he said,

"You have a nice laugh." Kaida felt her face heat up, but she was not sure why. She did not feel that way about him.

"Thank you, " was all she said. "I don't usually laugh that much." As they walked, they passed a house. A woman was standing outside. She had long blonde hair, and big brown eyes, and she was watering her flowers. Kaida couldn't help but stare. She looked just like Momiji. She could have been his mother.

She looked up, and smiled, "Hello Momiji," she said with a slight laugh in her voice, "What on earth have you been doing?" Momiji smiled,

"It's a kind of long story."

"Who is this?" She asked noticing me.

"I am Kaida." I said.

"Well hello." She turned to Momiji. "Well you had better get home, your mother will want to know why you are covered in ice cream."

"Okay, bye," said Momiji. Kaida was confused. As they walked away she said "That woman…looks so much like you."

"That's because she is my mother," he said glancing sideways at me. She stopped. He stopped. He pulled out his small album. He opened it and showed her the picture of a young blonde woman standing beside a tall man with dark hair and eyes.

"That's my mom and dad."

"But your mother acts like…"

"That's because her memory was erased."

"Erased?" I asked, "I don't understand." He sighed.

"You know about the curse. The Sohma Curse? I always knew you where distantly related to me. Shigure noticed you at my orientation ceremony, and told me who you where. You're father was one of the old Jyunishi, right?"

Kaida looked stunned. "He was the tiger."

"I see. Well, I was once the rabbit. Before the curse broke." Kaida remembered hearing about the curses breaking from one of the maids. She had come from the Sohma house. She had always tried to find news about her other family.

"When my mother realized this, she rejected me so much, she was on the brink of insanity. She would scream and cry whenever she looked at me. She was getting sick and weak. So to help her, Papa asked Hatori Sohma, the family doctor, to erase Mama's memory. He said…he said he would love me twice as much in Mama's place." Momiji looked away.

Then he turned back smiling. "But it was a good thing, in a way. It taught me something. I want to keep all of my memories. Even if they are painful. Because someday, when I am stronger, those memories won't hurt me anymore. And even if I wish Mama, had felt the same, even if I get sad sometime…I will keep going."

Kaida felt as if someone was reading her mind. She felt the exact same way. But she could not put it into words. All she could do was stand there, looking at him.

"I'm sorry," she finally said.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Momiji answered grinning. He was imitating her.

"Shut up." She said, but she was smiling as well.

She walked all the way to Momiji's house. She met Candice, who welcomed her as if she where an old friend.

"Hey," Candice said, after she had cleaned up Momiji, and asked where they had been, "How about staying for dinner?" Kaida knew she had to go home, but something inside her, knew she had to stay.

"Sounds like fun," Kaida said smiling.