From: [email-masked] (DMiller867)

KOR: Another Return to That Day  Part 1
Basec on Characters and Situations Created by Izumi Matsumoto
Written by David A. Miller

(Author's Note:  The scene opens on the afternoon following Kyosuke
Kasuga's break-up with Hikaru Hiyama.)
 
Ayukawa and I stood on a pedestrian overpass spanning a busy thoroughfare
in the business district.  A cooling breeze blew over us and knocked off
some of the effects of the late summer's heat.  I had just finished
telling her all of the events that had transpired the night before.
"I see.  Even though things turned out this way, can I believe in you and
how you feel for me?" she asked.
"Uh-huh."  It wasn't much of an answer with which to begin a serious
relationship, but it was the best I could give under the circumstances.
"Then I won't ever blame you for what happened;" she assured me, "If I
did, then you'd have no one else to turn to."  She turned back to staring
off into the horizon.  I stood next to her, looking in the same direction,
but seeing nothing.  I was still kind of depressed from last night.
"You wanna get something to eat?" she asked.
"Ayukawa?"
"Yes, Kasuga-kun?"
"When we get married..."
"Thinking ahead, I see." she remarked impishly.
"Please, don't EVER call me 'Darling'!"
"I understand...it would remind you too much of her."
"Uh-hmm."
"Let's go, then."
 
*****
 
An ambulance arrived at the Hiyama residence within a few minutes of the
emergency call.  The paramedics brought in a folding gurney and moments
later, removed the patient from the house.  Neighbors who gathered outside
to watch the action noticed that the body on the stretcher was that of the
child of the family.
"Poor girl," one woman said to her companion, "I wonder what could have
caused her illness?"
"She was always a lively sort," the other woman said, "But I heard she'd
been sad lately."
"You don't suppose she tried to..."
"Don't speculate about such things!  That poor child..."
 
Part One
 
The following morning, I was getting Ayukawa's notebooks together to
return them when my sisters burst into my room.
"Onii-chan," Manami exclaimed, "Hikaru-chan's very sick!  Her mom just
called us to say she's in the hospital!
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!" Kurumi screamed, "YOU BROKE HER HEART!!"  Mad with
worry, she charged at me and started hitting me with her fists.  I caught
her hands before they could do further damage, but her anger seared my
mind telepathically!
"SHE LOVED YOU!!" Kurumi bawled, "SHE LOVED YOU MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF AND
YOU DUMPED HER LIKE A PIECE OF SHIT!!"  She broke free of my grips and
tried to hit me again!  At the same time, she used her telekinetic powers
to pull books from my shelves and fling them at me!
"KURUMIII!!  STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!' Manami cried, "IT'S NOT HIS FAULT!!" 
She threw her arms around her sister and grimaced as Kurumi's rage flooded
her own psyche.  I dropped what I was doing and fled the apartment.
"YOU COWARD!!" Kurumi yelled as I retreated.  I didn't stop to fight back.
 I ran down to the car park in the building, got on my scooter and took
off for the hospital.  I drove like a maniac, using my powers to ward off
potential accidents.  I arrived at the hospital in a matter of minutes and
dumped the machine against a tree trunk in the parking lot, then dashed
for the hospital entrance, nearly running down several other patients in
the process.

The nurse at the information desk told me, "I'm sorry, she can't have
visitors at this time."
"No visitors?" I heard a familiar voice: "Ayukawa!"
"Kasuga-kun!"  She had arrived right behind me and I didn't even sense her
presence; that's how messed up I was.
"So, you've heard about her too."
"Uh-huh, her mother called my place about ten minutes ago.  Are her
parents here?" I asked the nurse.
"Yes, they're on the fourth floor, in the intensive care waiting room."
"Thank you"
Ayukawa and I were the only people on the elevator.  She didn't say
anything to me, but she took my hand in hers and squeezed it. I could
sense from the contact that Ayukawa was very concerned for Hikaru-chan's
life.  The waiting room was a good couple of minutes' walk away from the
elevator doors.  Ayukawa whispered to me, as if by saying it out loud,
she'd have to hear herself ask, "Kasuga-kun, you don't think she tried
to..."
"I don't know...I honestly don't know."  I didn't need my powers to figure
out what the rest of her question was.
When we got to the waiting room, Hikaru-chan's parents were seated
side-by-side on those miserable excuses for chairs that must be found in
every hospital waiting room in the world.  Their cups of tea sat cold and
abandoned on a low table in front of them.  I approached Mr. Hiyama and
asked, "What happened to Hikaru-chan?"
"She has a severe case of pneumonia; a particularly virulent strain,
according to the doctor."  He got up out of his seat and led me to a quiet
corner of the room.  I saw Ayukawa take the seat next to Mrs. Hiyama,
trying to comfort her.  Hikaru-chan's mother began crying, venting her
tears and emotions on the shoulder of Ayukawa's polo shirt.
Mr. Hiyama continued, "Hikaru came home at 3:00 am Monday morning, soaking
wet from the from the rainstorm.  She said nothing to me or her mother but
went straight to her room and locked herself inside.  She didn't come out
at all yesterday, so we forced open the door last night and found her on
her bed, covered in sweat from a dangerously high fever.  We had her
brought here where she's been in intensive care ever since."
"I'm very sorry to hear that sir."
"Before she lapsed into a coma, she was calling for 'Darling' to come back
to her.  I suspect that you are 'Darling'."
"I was, sir."
 
A doctor entered the room, causing us to halt our conversation.  "Mr. and
Mrs. Hiyama?" 
Hikaru-chan's parents went to speak with the physician.  I found Ayukawa
was still seated on one of the chairs.  "I'll go get us some tea."
She looked up and nodded; tear-tracks had moistened her face and her shirt
was dotted with her own as well as Mrs. Hiyama's tears.  I returned later
with two cups, set one in front of Ayukawa and sipped cautiously from the
other.  It turned out to be a vile and disgusting brew.  I set it on the
table next to the others to grow cold and abandoned it for the rest of my
stay.  I don't think Ayukawa touched hers at all.  
 
Mr. Hiyama finished conferring with the doctor and approached Ayukawa and
me.  Ayukawa went back to be with Mrs. Hiyama and left me alone with
Hikaru-chan's father.
"Hikaru has been put on the extremely critical list.  She is on oxygen,
intravenous feeding and wide-spectrum anti-biotics.  The doctor said that
the next twenty-four hours will determine whether she lives or not."
"Oh no..."  This upset me a lot!
"Kasuga-kun, I know you broke up with Hikaru in order to devote yourself
romantically to Madoka Ayukawa, but the way in which you did it must have
hurt my daughter so badly that the doctor believes that Hikaru is
suffering from a psychosomatically-induced illness, similar to an
attempted suicide."
"NO!!" I yelled, forgetting I was in a hospital, "THAT CAN'T BE!!!!"
"KASUGA-KUN!!"  HER voice.  I looked over at Ayukawa.  She stared back at
me with that terrible glare of hers that chilled me through to the bone. 
Sometimes I thought it was better that she'd hit me so that I could stop
looking into those awful eyes.
["YOUNG MAN, IF I HAD MY WAY, I'D MAKE YOU SUFFER FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO
MY DAUGHTER!"]
"Huh?"
"I said that I hope that you're not too upset with yourself.  I wouldn't
want you to suffer needlessly over my daughter's foolishness."
"No, sir.  I'm sorry, I need to go now."
I looked briefly over to Ayukawa again; her face had softened a bit from
her earlier expression and with that, we took leave of Hikaru-chan's
parents, who were continuing a grim vigil over their daughter's life.
 
One of the problems with being psychic is that sometimes you can hear
other people's thoughts before they speak.  I must have temporarily lost
my mental filters when Mr. Hiyama spoke to me back in the waiting room. 
What I had heard in my mind was not precisely what he had said to me out
loud.  I thought he really wanted me to suffer for what Hikaru-chan was
going through now.  He got his wish.
"What was that shouting back there; something about 'That can't be!'?"
Ayukawa sternly whispered at me.  I told her what Mr. Hiyama said to me
about the reason for Hikaru-chan's illness.  Ayukawa didn't react
initially, but after we got on the elevator and the doors closed: "Oh
noooo...."  She turned and clung to me, weeping fresh tears.  The anguish
she felt over Hikaru-chan poured into me as I held her close, trying to
soothe her.  Ayukawa pulled away from me as the elevator doors opened on
the ground floor.  She masked her emotions as we walked through the
hospital lobby, but I could still see that she was upset.

As I righted my scooter in the parking lot, Ayukawa retrieved her helmet
from her motorbike and asked, "Could you give me a ride home?  I'm kinda
scared to drive myself right now."
"Sure."
Ayukawa donned her helmet and climbed on behind me after I scooted forward
to make room for her.  She put her arms around my waist and leaned against
my back.  I could feel her crying against my body, behind the shield I
must have become for her.  I had to shut off my empathic senses as I drove
her home, to keep from eavesdropping her mind or else I might say or do
something to jar her emotionally.  I also made an important decision.  I
let her off at the front steps to her house.
"Ayukawa, can you come over to my place this evening?"
"Uh, okay."
"Good.  There's something important I must tell you and I must do it in
front of my family.  Is six o'clock all right?"
She nodded, then turned to her house, trudging up the steps on leaden
feet.  On the drive home, I planned what I had to do: convince Hikaru-chan
that she had to fight the disease.  And in order to do that, I needed
Ayukawa's help.  I decided to tell her about my powers!
 
When I got home, I told my father about Hikaru-chan's physical and
emotional crisis and my plans to fix matters: "Father, I need to tell
Ayukawa that we are Chou-Nou-Ryoku-Sha.  I'll need her help if I am to
save Hikaru-chan's life."
"Are you sure you are able to do this, Kyosuke?  You could easily make
things worse."
"I know, but if I don't act, she'll die anyway."
Father called my sisters, "Kurumi!  Manami!"  My sisters came into the
room.  The Kurumi I saw now had calmed down considerably from the morning.
 He explained the situation to the girls and told them of my intentions:
"It means having to reveal ourselves to an outsider."
"If Madoka-san becomes my sister-in-law," Kurumi said, "She won't be an
outsider!"
"KURUMI!!  You can't presume that!" Manami scolded her. 
"It's okay." I said, "I told her I want to marry her.  She hasn't said
'no' yet."
"I know your grandfather has taught all of you about how to use your super
abilities," Father said, "All I can do is ask that each of you does the
right thing."
"Onii-chan," Manami said, "Go ahead and tell Madoka-san all that you have
to in order to help Hikaru-chan."
"I agree with Manami-chan," Kurumi added, "I had hoped Hikaru-chan would
be my sister-in-law someday, but I like Madoka-san, too."
"I'm glad.  Ayukawa will be here at six.  We'll be going from here to the
hospital."
"You had this all set up," Father said, somewhat abruptly, "What would
have happened if we had said no?"
"I'd have told her just about myself, then the rest of you would have been
eased in over time.  I love Ayukawa and nothing and no one will ever
change that!"
 
"Onii-chan," Kurumi said repentantly, "I'm really sorry about attacking
you this morning.  I was blaming you for something which might have
happened to Hikaru-chan anyway, even without your break-up with her."
"It's still kinda my fault."  I had to be straight with my sister. 
"Because of the way I broke up with her, Hikaru-chan doesn't want to live
anymore.  Her condition is steadily getting worse.  That's why Ayukawa and
I must go and communicate telepathically with her subconscious mind, in
order to convince her not to die."
Kurumi embraced me in a gesture of sympathy.  "You DO still love her, just
a little, don't you?"
I nodded.  Then she released me and turned away.  I could swear I saw
tears in her eyes.
 
Ayukawa rang my doorbell precisely at 6:00 pm and I let her in.  She had
put on a nice blouse and skirt, compared to what she wore earlier. 
Ayukawa slipped off her shoes in the genkan and I led her into the living
room, seating her on the sofa next to my father and opposite my sisters. 
Manami, ever the gracious hostess, poured her a cup of tea from a service
on the coffee table.
"Madoka-kun," my father began, "What you are about to hear must be kept
secret or else it will jeopardize our stay in this city."  Ayukawa nodded
her head in agreement and he continued, "This family possesses unique
abilities and talents.  In other words, we are Chou-Nou-Ryoku-Sha:
ESPers."
Ayukawa gasped slightly but retained her calm composure.  "What can you
do?"
"My children's capabilities are many and varied.  They include
teleportation, telekinesis, empathy and telepathy.  These powers were
passed on to my son and daughters by my late wife."
Ayukawa nodded again.  "Can these--'powers'--be demonstrated?"
"Hmm.  You are correct to ask for proof.  Manami,"
"Yes, Papa?"
"Please give Madoka-kun a brief demonstration."
Manami used her telekinetic ability to levitate the teapot.  Ayukawa's
eyes widened as she took in the sight of the vessel floating in midair. 
Manami refilled Kurumi's cup, then set the pot back on the table.
"Thank you, Manami-chan." Kurumi said.
"Makes serving dinner less taxing, I tell you." Manami added humorously.
"You see," Father concluded, "Unless we're very discrete, we tend to be
driven away; 'The nail that sticks out gets hammered down'."
Ayukawa nodded her head slowly and asked, "What about teleportation?"
"Allow me."  I took Ayukawa by the hand and brought her to her feet.  I
used my teleportation power to transport us out of my apartment in the
blink of an eye!
 
I sent us to her house, landing in her kitchen and switching on the lights
telekinetically.  She looked at the familiar surroundings: "I always
wondered how you got me from in front of that oncoming truck to the stage
of the Talent Scout Caravan Show last year."
"But you didn't ask me how?"
"Would you have told me then what you're telling me now?"
I shook my head.
"That's why.  But I always knew there was something special about
you...but anyway, why'd you bring me in here?"
"I wanted to show you something,"  I went over to the control box for the
water heater and located the claw marks where I tried to turn off the gas
when I was trapped in Jingoro's body.  They had been painted over, but the
damage to the plaster was still visible.  I pointed to the claw marks and
asked her, "Do you remember bringing Jingoro to your house last year?"
"Yes I do!  I rescued him from the street after I dumped wine all over him
and got him drunk.  He repaid the favor by saving my life..."
"When you had drunk too much wine and fell asleep over here,"  I indicated
the chair, "and the pilot light went out after you turned on the gas to
heat the water for your shower."
"USOOOO!!  H-h-how could you have known..." she started to ask, then
blurted, "The cat told you everything?"
"Would an ordinary cat have tried to climb the wall to turn off the gas?"
She shook her head.
"I was in Jingoro's body that night," I said matter-of-factly, "I was also
the goldfish you caught at the festival and gave to Hikaru-chan; you know,
the one you flipped in the air and that landed inside your..."
 
SMACK!!!!
 
I never saw it coming!  One of Ayukawa's world famous thermo-nuclear face
slaps caught me completely off guard!  I bounced off the wall and hit the
floor with a dull thump.  Jeez, this one hurt!  Then she knelt down, held
me and cried out, "WHAT HAVE I DONE??  Forgive me, Kasuga-kun!  I'm so
terribly sorry!  You've saved my life repeatedly, even while you were a
cat, and the only thing I could think of a moment ago was--YOU WATCHED ME
GETTING UNDRESSED!!"
"If it's any consolation," I moaned, "I fainted right after you took off
your T-shirt-- OWWW!!"
She giggled after hearing that and wiped the tears from her eyes.  As she
held me and tenderly caressed the bump on my head, I could sense that she
was remembering all the other times I saved her from serious harm and that
hitting me a moment ago had caused her a whole lot of grief.  After she
composed herself, I got to my feet, we joined hands and teleported back to
my apartment.
 
"You've all shared this secret with me for a reason." Ayukawa stated from
her seat next to me on the sofa.
"Yes," I answered, "I need your help to communicate with Hikaru-chan's
subconscious mind.  Together, we must speak with her and convince her that
she doesn't have to die.  It would be like talking her out of killing
herself."
"But I don't have anything like your powers!"
"I can boost the power of your consciousness and transmit your thoughts
and feelings to her, just like the amplifier in a stereo system."
"Kyosuke, Madoka-kun," Father added, "The important thing to remember now
is that when you do talk to Hikaru-chan, you cannot promise her that
things will go back to the way they used to be.  Both of you must be
honest with her, that her life will have to resume along a new path."
"Yes, Father."
"Yes, Mr. Kasuga."
"Then good luck, Kyosuke, Madoka-kun."
I led Ayukawa back to the genkan to retrieve our shoes, then we teleported
from the apartment to the hospital, landing in an empty waiting lounge in
the Intensive Care unit.

End of Part One
\par }
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Subject: [KOR] [Fanfic] Another Return to That Day Part 2
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Subject: [KOR] [Fanfic] Another Return to That Day Part 2
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KOR: Another Return to That Day
Based on Characters and Situations created by Izumi Matsumoto
Written by David A, Miller

Part Two

I remember my grandfather once said that a powerful psychic can
communicate with a comatose person's mind as long as the coma isn't
drug-induced.  Oftentimes, persons in a coma can hear what's being said
because their minds are still active but are unable to communicate
directly because of their inability to control the higher voluntary
functions.  Armed with these facts, Ayukawa and I went to see Hikaru-chan
in order to try and convince her subconscious to fight for her life. 

As we approached the nurse's station, the clock showed 6:35 pm.  The duty
nurse was just returning to her desk and we asked her how Hikaru-chan was
doing. 
"Are you family members?" she asked.
"I'm a close friend since childhood; much like a sister." Ayukawa answered
convincingly.
The nurse consulted her sheet.  "I'm afraid she hasn't improved since the
last check."  Both of us got worried.
"When is your next check?" I asked.
"7:30 pm."
"Thank you"
We left the nurse's station and walked toward the elevators.  As soon as
the nurse's back was turned, I grasped Ayukawa's hand and teleported us
into Hikaru-chan's room in Intensive Care.

Hikaru-chan's appearance was a shock to both of us.  She was laid out on a
hospital bed with breathing tubes up her nostrils and an intravenous
needle in her arm.  Her coloring was deathly pale and a monitor for vital
signs showed a weak pulse and a very high temperature.  Sweat glistened on
her exposed skin and had soaked into her bedclothes.  The motion of her
thin chest against the topsheet was barely visible as she took slow and
shallow breaths.  I directed Ayukawa to Hikaru-chan's left side and I took
the right.  I lightly grasped the sick girl's hand and motioned to Ayukawa
to take Hikaru-chan's other hand, then we joined our free hands to
complete the circle.  I could feel Hikaru-chan's life energies had sunk to
a very low level.  In a few more hours, she would have died unless we had
intervened.
"Hikaru-chan?  Are you there?" I called gently into her subconscious,
using telepathy.  Ayukawa echoed my attempt, amplified by my powers,
"Hikaru?  Please answer us if you can hear us."  Then we called in unison,
"Hikaru-chan, do you hear us?"
["DARLING!!  YOU'VE COME BACK!!"]
Her mind-shout rang in my head for several moments like a temple bell on
New Years Day; I also could sense a corresponding increase in her
life-force.
"I'm here, too, Hikaru." Ayukawa answered as well.
["WHAT'S SHE DOING HERE!!"] came another powerful mind-shout.
"I want you to get better, too." 
["YOU'RE THE REASON WHY I BECAME LIKE THIS!!"]
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!!"
I winced as Ayukawa's highly emotional retort ripped through my brain and
into Hikaru-chan's subconscious with terrific force: "You were all over
him like clothing, Hikaru!  What was I to think every time I saw you
clinging to Kasuga-kun?"
["YOU STOLE DARLING FROM ME!!"]
When Hikaru-chan's life energies reached a high enough level, I was able
to probe her subconscious memories of the night of our break-up.  Then, by
amplifying these images and feelings, I was able to replay those scenes
which led up to her illness.

We learned that Hikaru-chan stayed out all night in the rain on her
bicycle, trying to provoke a collision with other cars and trucks on the
road.  We shuddered in terror as she sought to kill herself in order to
expiate her pain at losing me as well as punish Ayukawa for being the
chosen one.  I could also sense Ayukawa was moved by these visions,
remembering her own emotional state the night she cried out to me for
help.  When Hikaru-chan lost her nerve after a few near-fatal encounters,
she arrived at home soaked to the bone in the wee hours of the morning. 
She went into her room, locked the door and threw herself, wet clothes and
all, into her bed.  Ayukawa and I watched images of Hikaru-chan lying
face-down on her mattress, crying for an untold length of time. 
Emotionally distraught beyond our ability to imagine, she willed herself
to die and became horribly sick.  Bit by bit, Hikaru-chan began to
surrender her health to an insidious form of pneumonia.  When her father
broke down her bedroom door, he found her deathly ill, delirious with
fever, wailing pitifully and calling for "Darling" to come back.

"It wasn't easy for me either, Hikaru-chan," I said sympathetically, "But
why do you wish to die?"
["BECAUSE DARLING DOESN'T LOVE ME ANYMORE!!  DARLING DOESN'T WANT TO SEE
ME NOR SPEAK TO ME!!  DARLING HATES ME!!!!"]
"Forgive me, Hikaru-chan, I was wrong to do you that way!  Ayukawa and I
should have sat with you and explained matters."
Ayukawa nodded her head in agreement, adding, "I had always believed that
what you had for him was just an adolescent crush..."
["I LOVED DARLING!!!!']
"I know that now, Hikaru-chan," I answered, "But that doesn't change the
facts.  Ayukawa and I are in love with each other!"
["SO WHY MUST I LIVE WITH THE LOSS OF YOU, DARLING??  TELL ME--WHY????"]

"THIS IS WHY!!!!"

Ayukawa, having no natural powers or training in psychic skills, must have
instinctively discovered how to project her own subconscious visions.  She
began feeding Hikaru-chan images of the time in Hawaii when Hikaru-chan
had been kidnapped.  A Hawaiian gang, bent on extorting ransom money from
an Japanese-American industrialist, took Hikaru-chan from our hotel,
believing her to be his daughter.  Rather than call the local police,
Ayukawa and I decided to try and free her ourselves.  We were taken
captive and thrown into the same place with Hikaru-chan.  The gang's
leaders, realizing that we weren't the wealthy Americans they thought we
were, prepared to kill us.  When their guns malfunctioned (Ayukawa didn't
know I had fouled them with my powers), we made a break for it.  Ayukawa
knocked out a third member of the gang just outside the door and I took
his weapon.  We ran through the passages of an underground parking garage
until one of the kidnappers pursued us with his car.  He chased us into a
dead end and would have run us down, except Ayukawa seized the pistol I
had taken.  Hikaru-chan and I were so intent upon our own individual
survival that we never knew that Ayukawa was not only afraid for her own
life, but for ours as well.  Now, through the amplified power of Ayukawa's
subconscious, we experienced the numbing terror she felt as she pointed
the gun at the oncoming car and pulled the trigger.  The recoil caused her
to tumble backwards against us while the bullet blew out the car's tire
and caused it to crash into a wall close to where we cowered in fear.
"You are very precious to me, Hikaru," Ayukawa said shakily, "I almost
killed a man to protect your life and the memory of that will haunt me
forever!"
["I never thought that you felt that way about me, Madoka-san,"]
Hikaru-chan's subconscious replied, ["But why did you have to take my
Darling from me?"]
"You knew I loved him too, didn't you, Hikaru."
["Yes, I did.  I kept telling myself it wasn't true."]
"I had put your feelings for him ahead of mine for a long time, believing
that you would find another boy and allow us to be together, but you
accelerated matters when you kissed him.  Then when you told me about it,
I realized that I loved him just as much as you did, maybe even more..."
Ayukawa created more images with her mental processes, of herself dressing
in her yukata to relieve the pain, then having fleeting thoughts of
suicide; thoughts which began to occupy an increasing portion of  her
conscious mind.  Just before she reached the end of her tether of sanity,
Ayukawa phoned my house and called out to me.  After I came to the door,
she met me in the hallway where I tried bestow a lover's kiss.  She
refused the kiss but instead, clung to me, desperate for reassurance.  We
spent the rest of the night on her sofa, healing the rift which threatened
both our very lives.
"Later on," Ayukawa continued, "I became so angry and jealous, I told
Kasuga-kun to break up with you.  I didn't care about your feelings
anymore.  When you came to see me at ABCB, I tried to apologize to you,
but you didn't stay!  Instead...you walked out...into the rain..."  She
couldn't go on.  Sobbing quietly, Ayukawa fell face-down into the sick
girl's topsheet, grieving over Hikaru-chan's death wish.

"Hikaru-chan," I said, "I too have a story to tell, of how Ayukawa and I
fell in love, and how we gave proof of the strength of that love."
The images I formed with my powers were memories I had collected since the
first day I met Ayukawa.  I showed how I caught her red straw hat near the
top of the Hundred Steps ("There are ninety-nine-point-five; we agreed,
remember?"  Ayukawa reminded me of this fact!), how she helped me at my
first day working at ABCB and through my first set of midterms at Koryo
Gakuen, how I saved her from drowning in "Big Monday" and from being
splattered on the rocks at the deserted island during that same vacation
trip.  I also showed Hikaru-chan the time we went to my grandfather's home
on the skiing trip, for this was where our love had been tested and rang
true.
Grandfather had warned us of the local curse: couples in love who skied on
the nearby slopes would be found dead in the snow, shorn of clothing and
frozen with a look of terror upon their faces.  Ayukawa and I defied those
warnings and became trapped in a cave during an avalanche.  Once inside, I
saw a vision of Ayukawa stripping off her clothes and inviting me to do
the same.  Just as I thought we were about to make love, I was brought to
my senses by a slap in the face.  It turned out to be a mirage.  I told
Ayukawa of the legendary runaway couple who, defying their parents'
wishes, fled into this very cave.  The floor of the cavern had given way,
leaving the man hanging from the rim of the crater by one hand while his
lady love held onto his other hand.  His muscles cramped from the
prolonged strain and released the girl to fall into a river of lava a
hundred meters below.  Now Ayukawa and I were stuck in the same cave!  To
our horror, we were confronted by zombies; the animated corpses of several
hundred years of the curse's victims.  Ayukawa and I fled into the deepest
recesses of the cavern, only to reach a dead end.  I tried to use my
powers to teleport us away, but dark energies had sealed us in where we
stood.  The floor collapsed under our feet; Ayukawa and I now relived the
experiences of the star-crossed lovers.  We became suspended over a river
of lava a hundred meters below, with Ayukawa hanging from my right hand
and my left gripping a handhold on the edge of the abyss.  A ghost
appeared before us; the yuurei of the young woman who fell to her demise
in this very chasm centuries ago!
"Let go of the girl," the ghost demanded, "Just like the man who betrayed
me!"
"Please let me go and save yourself!" Ayukawa pleaded.
"I'll let go," I shouted, "BUT I'LL NEVER LET HER GO!!"  I released my
grip on the edge and fell with Ayukawa, determined not to let her die
alone!  We grasped each other in a final embrace as we plummeted to
certain death, but instead, we awakened outside of the cave, ALIVE AND
UNHARMED!! 
A shaft of light penetrated the clouds in the sky and illuminated the
spirits of the girl and that of her lover, as they were re-united and
borne away into the afterlife.  The bond Ayukawa and I had for each other
had broken the curse on the land!

["I never knew that about you two..."] Hikaru-chan responded weakly.  I
could feel her life-force slipping away again, this time more from guilt
than anger or resentment.
"Hikaru-chan, do you love me?" I asked gently.
["YES, I LOVE YOU AND I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, DARLING!!!!"]  That was
LOUD!!
"The best way you can show that you love me is to live, Hikaru-chan.  Live
on so that you can love again."
"I also love and care lots about you, Hikaru," Ayukawa added, "And the
best way for you to show your love for me is to let Kasuga-kun and me have
each other.  Things can't ever go back to the way they used to be, Hikaru,
but when you've recovered, there's always the hope that someday, you'll
find a love of your own that you won't have to share with anyone else. 
And when that happens, we'll help you celebrate, because we'll always be
your friends."

["DARLING, MADOKA-SAN, I'M SO SORRY I CAUSED YOU SO MUCH PAIN!!!!"]

Her apology resonated in our skulls and shook us down to the marrow in our
bones!  It caused us to loosen our grips on Hikaru-chan's hands and fall
onto the floor.  I got up just in time to see Hikaru-chan's eyelids twitch
and slowly open.  It was lovely to see her come back to life just as
footsteps in the hall told of an approaching nurse.  I stroked the girl's
cheek lightly with my fingertips.
"Darling, is that you?" she moaned softly.
I grabbed Ayukawa by the hand and teleported out of the room right before
the nurse came in to check up upon Hikaru-chan's condition.

*****

The duty nurse heard a thump come from one of the rooms in Intensive Care.
 She went to the source of the noise to see that the patient who was
critically ill with pneumonia and supposed to be comatose was sitting up
in bed, blinking her eyes and scratching the back of her head!
"When did you wake up, Princess?" the nurse asked.
"Just a while ago," Hikaru answered, "I thought I saw my two best friends
in here.  Did you see them?"
"A boy and girl were here an hour ago asking about you, but you were in a
coma..."  The nurse checked the readouts on the monitor.  "Huh?  Your
fever's going down, pulse and respiration are up, blood pressure is
approaching normal levels...nobody as sick as you are-I mean-were, should
have made this kind of improvement in just an hour!"
"Just how sick was I?"
"Honey, we thought you weren't going to come back."
Hikaru yawned and stretched, then said, "I didn't have any breakfast this
morning, so can I get something to eat?  I'm STARVING!!"

*****

Now it was my turn to be surprised.  Instead of the living room of my
apartment, we rematerialized inside of Ayukawa's bedroom!
"WHAT THE...!!  How did we...?"
"During the mind-link we had with Hikaru," Ayukawa explained, "I wished
that I could be alone with you."
"You used a post-hypnotic suggestion?"
"I guess...I've never done this before."  Ayukawa smiled gently at me,
then leaned on my chest, grasped my shirtfront and wept tears of relief. 
I fought the impulse to pry into her mind as I held her and caressed her
head, trying to comfort her.  We sat down on the edge of her mattress as
she let the emotions she kept penned up inside herself escape.
"I guess you've figured out I'm really not all that strong..."
"That's not true!  You had the strength to tell her all about us..."
"If that's so true, then where was that strength...the night she tried to
KILL HERSELF!!"
"That doesn't matter now.  What matters is that she's not gonna die..."
"OH, KYOSUKE...!!"  Ayukawa pushed her face harder into my chest and
bawled!
"It's all right..."  I held her tighter and felt her mind calming down as
she slowly recovered her senses.  I guessed that if she felt like cutting
loose, that here in her room was a safer place than in front of my family.
After a few minutes, she stopped crying.  She picked herself up, took my
head in her hands and KISSED ME FULL ON THE LIPS!!  When Hikaru-chan had
kissed me, she tasted of sweet innocence.  When Ayukawa kissed me, the
effects were dramatically different!  Powerful feelings of desire swept
the two of us aloft as if we were fallen leaves caught in a typhoon!  We
fell back upon the bed while our mouths meshed and unlocked intensely
erotic sensations.  Our hands loosened each other's clothing and explored
the bare skin beneath, our fingers softly touching each other's flesh as
our lips and tongues excited pleasures that defied description.  IT FELT
GREAT!!  This was how I had always imagined it would be with Ayukawa.
But I was beginning to have doubts about going all the way.  I didn't
think the time was right, having just averted a serious tragedy.  I didn't
want to remember this as the night I conquered a helpless girl. 
I also began to feel a hesitancy in Ayukawa.  Her kisses and responses as
I touched her felt forced, as if she was making herself act willing and
receptive.  I wanted to push her away and stop, but she pulled me closer
and tighter: "No, don't stop..." she moaned, but I could tell she was
feigning passion.  Maybe she thought she needed to reward me with sex.  I
got an idea just as Ayukawa started to unfasten the waistband of my
slacks.
"Wait a sec, let me put on some music, okay?"
She released me, rolled onto her back and smiled invitingly.  "Hurry up
and get back here!"
I found what I was looking for and put it in her CD player, then
programmed it to come on.  After I was done, I looked towards the bed;
Ayukawa had shrugged out of her blouse and skirt.  AH, THE UNDERWEAR SHE
HAD ON!!  She was wearing a sexy, white lace bra which lifted and
separated, but did very little to conceal, along with matching panties.  I
nearly forgot that I was trying NOT to make love with her!
"You...look like a model for Victoria's Secret!"  I got into the bed next
to her.  She smiled at me.  Maybe I'm wrong; she must really, REALLY want
me...
"Ayukawa..." I whispered.
"Please, call me 'Madoka'."
She pulled me close and we began kissing again, just as the song I
programmed came on; "Let's Wait a While", sung by Janet Jackson.  Although
the song was in English, the lyrics soon had the desired effect. 
Ayukawa-no, Madoka stopped kissing me and cuddled against my chest as the
song played through to the end.
"Was that a signal to me?" she asked.  I nodded.
"Thanks; I was having second thoughts, myself."
"There'll be plenty of time for this, later."
She nodded.  Madoka got up and went into her adjoining bathroom, then
returned wearing a simple cotton night shirt.  I had to fight hard to keep
my composure because she had TAKEN OFF HER BRA!!
"If you want to, you can take your clothes off.  I promise, I won't try
anything."
"I think I'd better leave them on."
She nodded, then got in the bed next to me, pulling a coverlet over us and
wrapping her arms around my body.  I used my telekinetic power to turn off
the lights and stereo.
"Good night, Kyosuke," she said, using my personal name in the intimate
way that lovers do.
"Good night, Madoka."
We went to sleep in her bed, resting peacefully in each other's arms.  I
was dreaming of the day we'd be able to make love...

"HA-HA-HA!!  ONII-CHAN, WE CAUGHT YOU!!"
"WHAAAAT!!"
I awoke to find Kurumi and Manami standing over us, giggling with perverse
joy at having found Madoka and me together in bed.  Madoka awakened a few
seconds later and shrieked with fright, flushed with embarrassment.  "WHAT
ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE??"
"We came to tell you that Hikaru-chan's out of danger and that she'll be
able to go home soon!" Kurumi exclaimed.
"WE DID IT!!" Madoka and I cheered together, slapping our hands in a High
Five!
"Oh no you didn't," Manami countered, grinning mischievously.  She held up
the CD jewel box of Janet Jackson's "Control" album.
"There isn't a couple horny enough who can do IT to 'Let's Wait a While'!"
"So that's what you did, eh?"  Madoka laughed, holding her hand over her
open mouth like a proper lady.
"I refuse to answer that question, on the grounds that I might incriminate
myself!"  I got up out of the bed, still in my clothes.  Just then, I felt
a moist, clammy sensation inside of my underwear!  I could feel the heated
blood rising to my face...
"YAADAAAAAAA!!!!" Madoka screamed, blushing an even brighter red!
"ONII-CHAN, YOU'RE SOOOOO GROOOOOOSS!!!!" chorused my sisters.
"See ya!"  I teleported out of there in a flash!

I cleaned up and changed clothes at home, then made myself a cup of tea. 
I had a bone to pick with my sisters when I saw them again!  To think that
they would be so rude as to...
"Good morning again, Onii-chan." I heard Kurumi say
"Yep, good morning!" Manami followed up.  
"HOW DARE YOU BARGE UNINVITED INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S' HOME!!!!" I bellowed,
"THAT WAS THE MOST..."
"After you and Madoka-kun didn't return last night, I got worried," Father
interrupted from his bedroom doorway, "And your sisters had the most
innocent of intentions when they tracked you down to tell you two that
your plan succeeded."
"You tell 'im, Papa!" Kurumi mouthed off.
"But they..."
"Knew you didn't consummate your love with Madoka-kun, otherwise, they
never would have 'barged in', as you put it."
"RIIIIIGHT!!" they chorused.
"Okay then, I'm sorry I yelled at you, but please don't do that anymore." 
The devilish duo giggled and nodded their heads.  I had a feeling that
they didn't take me seriously.  However, Kurumi had one last zinger to
toss at me: "You better rinse out those drawers you had on this morning! 
I ain't even gonna look at them on laundry day if they aren't!"
"Why you..." 
I wound up washing my own clothes that weekend!

Ayukawa came to my building later that day to hitch a ride to the hospital
to recover her motorbike.
"I thought I told you to call me 'Madoka' last night!"
"I figured I kinda lost that privilege when I got up."
"You mean that?" she laughed, "I discovered I didn't have the right to
criticize..."
"You mean girls do THAT, too?"
"If girls couldn't have 'wet dreams', we'd never find our true loves!  By
the way, you were TERRIFIC!!"
"Terrific?  But I never even..."
"Kyosuke," she said with a sweetness I seldom got to hear, "You are the
best 'Dream Lover' I've ever had!"
"Someday, I'll be the best 'Real Lover' you'll ever have!"
"Is that a threat?"
"Nope, that's a PROMISE!!"

Ayukawa and I visited Hikaru-chan as soon as she was released from the
hospital's Intensive Care section.
"Madoka-san, Kasuga-sempai," Hikaru-chan said excitedly, "I had a dream
about you two when I was in a coma!"
"Tell us all about it, Hikaru." Ayukawa said.
"There were these voices in my head that sounded a lot like yours that
were telling me not to die! Then I had a dream that I was Madoka-san, back
in Hawaii, shooting that gun to save us from the kidnappers,"  Hikaru-chan
paused, then said, "I even dreamed I was you, Kasuga-sempai!  I saw myself
climbing that hill with ninety-nine steps..."
"See, I told you!  Even Hikaru says there are ninety-nine steps!"
"I caught the red hat and fell in love with Madoka-san at first sight!  I
was also in this cave with Madoka-san, getting chased by zombies and
threatened by a ghost...I fell in this big hole, with lava at the bottom! 
Rather than let her fall by herself, I held onto Madoka-san and vowed to
die with her..."  Hikaru-chan paused then mumbled, "I must have scared
everybody like crazy, making myself sick like this..."
"It's okay, Hikaru.  You'll be better very soon." Ayukawa assured her.
Hikaru-chan stretched out her arms.  "Give me your hands, please."  
We did as she asked.  Hikaru-chan placed my hand in Ayukawa's, as if she
was a minister at a wedding ceremony.  "You both deserve each other.  I
won't get in your way anymore.  Madoka-san, Sempai, I hope the both of you
will be very happy..."  She began to cry in earnest.
"Oh Hikaru, we'll always be your friends." Ayukawa told her, embracing the
girl.
"That's right, Hikaru-chan," I added, "Friends!"
Hikaru-chan's father entered the room: "Kasuga-kun?"
"Yes, sir?"
"I was wrong about you.  You have been more loyal to my daughter than I
could ever hope to repay.  I can't thank you enough..."
"It's okay, Mr. Hiyama.  I think Hikaru-chan has forgiven me for how I
treated her and that is thanks enough."
As we left Hikaru-chan's room, Ayukawa asked me softly, "Do you think he
knows about our 'visit'?"
"Let's leave it at that."

Author's Note.

I first became acquainted with Kimagure Orange Road back in 1994 through
borrowing a friend's copy of the first volume of the OAV series released
by AnimEigo.  Since then, I've eagerly devoured everything I could about
the wonderful characters created by Matsumoto-sensei.  Although somewhat
reminiscent of the Archie-Betty-Veronica love triangle, KOR differs
sharply in that there is an end to the story and a price to be paid by its
participants.
 
This work is largely derived from incidents contained in the screenplay of
the KOR Movie written by Kenji Terada, however, a number of artistic
licenses were taken which will be evident to anyone who has watched the
original.  In the Movie, "I Want to Return to That Day", Kyosuke
unwittingly causes Madoka severe heartbreak.  This forces him to declare
his love for her and to break off his relationship with Hikaru.  Hikaru
suffered tremendously as a result of the breakup.  She possesses a
somewhat borderline personality disorder which showed up in Episode 33 of
the TV series (Attempted suicide at the rotted rope bridge).  This
incident also serves as a bridge for Kyosuke to disclose to Madoka the
facts about his powers.  Then afterwards, everything which took off for
the dramatic has returned to the realm of silliness which for me, made the
KOR series into the attractive universe I found so long ago.

I acknowledge all copyrights held by their holders and state that this
work was produced without intent for profit or personal financial gain.

Symbolic Conventions

The following work was written in idiomatic English with a smattering of
Japanese words to preserve the flavor of the characters' heritage. Some
phrases in English have been constructed to simulate "Respect Language". 
Much of the story is told from Kyosuke's point of view in the first
person, however a  *****  indicates a change away from Kyosuke's
viewpoint.
[Hikaru-chan's telepathic dialogue is shown in these brackets.] 
(Parenthetical or soft-voiced comments like the small print used in manga)
"LOUD DIALOGUE!!", and "YELLS!!!!" 

Notes on Names.

I have observed the custom of inverting Japanese names when romanized. 
Also, 'Mr.' and 'Mrs.' have been used in order to help distinguish adult
characters being addressed directly.  Japanese terms of reference have
been employed (e.g. "Onii-chan" Dearest Elder Brother) where there is no
appropriate English equivalent.  Japanese name-suffixes are attached to
names where there is no mistaking who is being addressed
(Kasuga-kun/Kasuga-sempai = Kyosuke).