"So…" Kameko summed up, "you and your family are cursed by the spirits of the Zodiac, and you turn into animals when you're hugged by the opposite sex?"

"We're also great fun at parties," the dog-man, Shigure, added.

She tried not to smile. They were back in her kitchen. She was sitting on one counter, he was leaning against the other. "It's a big secret," she said, thinking out loud. "Not something you'd want to tell a lot of people."

"Well, we can tell them, we just have to erase their memories later."

Kameko had trouble absorbing this new information. Amazing considering what else she was processing. "Wait," she said. "No offense, but...why me? Why let yourself get caught if you're only going to erase my memory? Is this some sort of power play? Is this your sick idea of fun?!"

"Of course not," Shigure replied. "You offered me food. I never turn down food." Before she could reply he said seriously, "And you had to have known I wasn't just some stray."

She reddened and decided the floor was very interesting to look at.

"So we're both a little guilty," he observed. "The real question is: what now?"

Kameko looked up, startled. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think our meeting was entirely by accident. And after I ran into you -" he held up a hand to stop her protest "-after I ran into you, I decided that now would be the best time to let you know about the Jyuunishi. And we could take it from there. As you can imagine, I don't have the best luck meeting girls."

"But you don't know me," she argued.

"Who ever knows someone when they first meet?" He shrugged.

"You know what I mean," she said. "You didn't even know my name, how could you possibly know that I would…that I…"

"I didn't," he admitted. They locked eyes for a single moment.

"I also have no intention of erasing your memory unless you want me to."

Well that was encouraging.

"So now we come to a crossroads," he said grandly. "Everything will be decided by your answer to this question…" He paused for dramatic effect. "What did you think of my novel?"

She laughed, then realized he was serious. Or was he? It was a metaphor…or a simile, she could never keep them straight. But how she answered the question would decide whether this Shigure walked out her door forever. Did she want that?

Kameko regarded her forget-me-nots while she considered. It was certainly an interesting beginning to a relationship, no doubt about that. Shigure must have welcomed the opportunity to start out with the other person knowing about the curse. Why wasn't she more bothered by it? She was accepting it the way she would accept someone saying that they like to dye their hair wacky colors. Different, but not strange or repulsive.

She tried to imagine going back to her life before. Not memory-erased going back, just going back, knowing Shigure was out there and that she would never see him again.

And she couldn't. Her throat tightened, she couldn't breathe. She knew absolutely nothing about him and yet she couldn't go back to life without him. And if it couldn't be romantic, they could at least still be friends.

"I think…" she began, but her voice sounded weird and she had to start again. "I think it's an interesting idea, but I want to read a little further before passing any final judgment." There, that should do it.

Shigure seemed to think so too. "Excellent!" he said. "Then I shall call on you tomorrow, and you can read more then. Or I suppose we could go out to dinner, if you would rather do something that's actually fun."

"Sure, that sounds great." She smiled.

"Then it's settled. Well, actually, one more thing: what did you really think of my novel?"

She shrugged. "It was okay."

"'Okay?'" he asked, and she could swear he was pouting.

She laughed. "Drama's fine, but it's nothing like a good romance," she said, deliberately teasing him.

He pulled a face, and she laughed again.

Oh yes, she decided. This was definitely going to be interesting.