Subject: [KOR][FanFic] Mahou-no-Tama
From: DAVID A MILLER <[email-masked]>

Kimagure Orange Road:
Mahou-no Tama
by
David A. Miller
Based on characters and situations by
Izumi Matsumoto

Foreword:

This is a short story involving Kyosuke Kasuga and Madoka Ayukawa after the
summer as shown in the Movie: "I Want to Return to that Day" and before the
events in New Kimagure Orange Road.  Characters are the copyright of Izumi
Matsumoto and are used without his prior knowledge or permission, but
without intent to deprive him of his rights under the law.  Madoka's parents
were never officially named, so I named her father Seiji (after orchestra
conductor Seiji Ozawa) and her mother Midori (after the violinist of the
same name).
Dialogue within `<>' indicates  English spoken by Madoka or other
Japanese-speaking characters.

Mahou-no-Tama, Part 1

It was in early December that I was sitting at my desk in my room, studying
my bank account's passbook.  Most of my savings went into paying for the
college entrance exam preparation course I had taken with Ayukawa that past
summer.  Now I faced the prospect of being unable to get a decent gift for
my one and only girlfriend.  In earlier times, I hadn't been able to give
her anything more than a cheap trinket or two.  I wanted to get her
something special, something that would say to her, "I Love You".  I thought
about getting a second part-time job, but with high school in session, plus
being on call at ABCB, there wasn't enough time left to earn the money I
thought I'd need.
KNOCK KNOCK!!  "Okay to come in?"  That was Manami
     "Okay!"
     My sister let herself in the room.  "Onii-chan, can I borrow your
English-Japanese dictionary?"
    "Sure, use the green one on the shelf, over there."  I directed her to
the opposite corner of my room.
    "Money troubles?" Manami asked as she crossed behind me, even though it
was not where I sent her.
    "Really, it's none of your business." I muttered.  Nosy little...
    "Oh, I don't know..."  She picked up my newest dictionary, one I bought
during the exam preparation course.  "If I can use this one, I'll make it
worth your while."
    "All right, but be careful with it."
    "<Thank you>, Onii-chan."  Manami traipsed out of the room, oblivious to
my predicament.  After all, it's not her concern if all I can afford to get
Ayukawa this year is another stupid little trinket!

    On Saturday after school, Manami returned the dictionary.  "It really
helped me a lot, Onii-chan.  Thank you very much."
    "No problem," I replied as I took the book from her.  A small white
envelope protruded from beneath the front cover.  "What's this?"
    "Just something I owed you for a while now.  I thought you'd might like
to have it."
    The envelope contained five 10,000 yen notes!  "Manami, you don't need
to do this!"
    "But it's your money, Onii-chan."
    "My money?"
    "Uh-huh.  Remember when we went to Grampa's that New Year's, the time
when we left you behind?"
    "Yep."  That was when I `hypnotized' Ayukawa into being my `love slave'.
    "Well, Grampa was real generous that year with the Otoshidama and gave
each of us 30 thousand."
    "Thirty-thousand?  You only gave me-how much did you give me?"
    "Fifteen.  I took the other half and put it in a high-interest savings
account, then added to it, until it grew this big.  I was going to give it
to you for Christmas, but I saw you were having money problems and though it
would be more useful now than later."
    "Manami, I'm..."
    "Touched, I know.  I had to bribe Kurumi with ten thousand of my share,
just so that she'd keep the secret."
    I bowed in appreciation.  "Thank you, Manami-chan.  This means a lot to
me."
    "No problem, Onii-chan.  Not a problem at all."

    Things in my direction were starting to look brighter .  If that wasn't
enough, Grandpa came visiting that weekend, introducing me to something that
was even more valuable.
    "Kyosuke, I hear that you'd finally decided upon a girlfriend." he said
as he entered my room.
    "Yes," I answered, "I made up my mind to be with Madoka Ayukawa."
    "A-ha, the sexy-looking girl!"  He slapped me on the shoulder.  "I had a
feeling she'd be the one."
     "That choice didn't come without great cost."
     Grandpa picked up what I'd said and took on a more serious tone.
"Well, I've got something for you to present to her."
    "Eh?  What is it?"
    Grandpa removed a small cloth pouch from his jacket pocket and laid it
on my desk.  "Before I give this to you, I must ask, does she know about
US?"
    "I told her that we are Chou-Nou-Ryoku-Sha.  She has seen me use the
power."
    "Good, then."  Grandpa opened the drawstring on the pouch and emptied
it.  A  gemstone tumbled out onto the desktop and shone under my lamp.  It
was red, egg-shaped jewel, a lot like a well-polished ruby or spinel.
    "It's great!" I said.  It was much too big for a ring, though.  A
pendant, perhaps?
    "This is no ordinary stone, Kyosuke.  This is a Mahou-no-Tama."
    "Mahou-no-Tama?"
    "Yes.  This gemstone comes from the valley of our ancestors.  Long ago,
our ancestors discovered the properties of this mineral and used it as a
betrothal gift.  Its power is the ability to enhance the positive internal
qualities that each of us possesses.  One can become braver and stronger,
more gentle and more generous..."
    "Smarter, maybe?"  I had midterms coming soon.
    "Boy, that is a function of your study ethic.  But maybe in your case,
it might help.  The idea is that this jewel will seal your relationship with
her, much like an engagement ring."
    "That's great.  Can it be worn as a pendant?"
    "Of course.  The best place to wear a Mahou-no-Tama is right over the
heart.  One other thing."
    "Yes, Grandpa."
    "Once the Mahou-no-Tama is fastened to her, no one but you and she may
remove it.  It's a handy feature, guaranteed to keep it from getting lost or
stolen.  This one used to belong to my grandmother.  I hope Madoka-chan will
like it."
    "I'm sure she will.  Thank you very much, Grandpa."

    Using Master's connections, a local jeweler made a pendant mount for the
stone and sold me a gold chain at a very decent price ("Best work I've ever
done my whole life," he told me, "and at wholesale prices, too!  You better
take good care of that young lady!").  He even threw in two charm bracelets
as an omake.  My luck definitely took a turn for the better.

*****

    It's done, Madoka thought as she held up a knitted cardigan before her
critical eye.  It wasn't the most complicated job she had ever undertaken,
but still it was important that she get it right.  "He won't dare make eyes
at another woman while wearing his wife's hand knit." her older sister had
said one day after Madoka saw her brother-in-law in a finely made polo
shirt.  Madoka gathered up the sweater along with the other things she had
made for the Kasuga family.  However, they're small compensation for the
fact that I won't be here for Christmas, this year.

*****

DING-DONG!!   I went to get the door and found "Ayukawa!"
     "Konbanwa." she answered, "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"
     "No, we've been expecting you since your phone call."
     Ayukawa shed her shoes in the genkan and continued into the apartment,
bearing a shopping bag.  All of us gathered in the living room as Ayukawa
set down her bag and reached inside.
     "I wanted to bring these to you before I departed."
     "Departed?  Are you leaving Madoka-san?" Manami asked.  She beat me to
the question by a few seconds.
     "Yes, I'm going to see my parents in America for Christmas.  I haven't
been there in quite a while and I thought it was about time that I went."
Ayukawa drew out a long muffler, knitted of gray wool in a cable stitch.
"For you, `Otoo-san'."
     "Eh-uh, thank you..."  I'd never seen my old man so flustered in my
life.  His hands trembled slightly as he took the muffler.
     "For you, Manami-chan,"  Ayukawa handed her a knitted beret, crafted of
a very fine dark blue yarn, lined with red satin.
     "Thank you very much, Madoka-san."  A bright smile lit up my sister's
face as she accepted the gift.
     "Whattabout me?" Kurumi erupted, her patience exhausted.  Ayukawa gave
her a knitted toboggan cap, artfully made in a bright swirl of rainbow
colors.  It fit my other sister's personality to a `T'.  "ALL RIGHT!!"
Kurumi shouted, "Thanks bunches, Madoka-san."  She ran to go find a mirror.
     Now it was my turn.  Ayukawa pulled the last item from her shopping
bag.  "I know this is hardly enough to make up for my not being here this
Christmas, but please accept this as a small token of my feelings for you,
Kasuga-kun."  It was a sweater, made of cream-color yarn.  I couldn't help
noticing that it was the same color as the scarf Hikaru Hiyama was making
for me a few months ago.  "I had heard that you liked this color." Ayukawa
said
     "Yes, it's a fine color."  I put my arms into the sleeves and drew on
the sweater.  It was a perfect fit.  "Thank you very much, Ayukawa.  I have
something for you..."
    "Madoka-san!"  Kurumi interrupted, "I got this for you, please accept
this!"
Ayukawa received a silk scarf printed with an Art-Deco design of an elegant
lady, I think, by Erté.  "Thank you Kurumi-chan.  I don't own one this nice
at all."
     Kurumi bowed her head quickly and ran out of the room.  Just when I
thought it was safe to resume my delivery, Manami came in the room.
     "Madoka-san, I made this for you, in case you had to dress up at some
time."  It was a silk camisole, the kind a lady would wear as an evening top
with a long skirt.
     "Thank you, Manami-chan.  This is perfect for my parent's concert at
Lincoln center."
     "It should be a good fit; I based it on the clothes you gave me when
you left for America last time, plus I added a few centimeters for..."
     "Thank you, Manami," I stopped her, "Now if we could have a few moments
alone,"
     "Okay, Onii-chan."  Manami bowed her head and left.
     "Now, I have something for you-"
     "Anou, Madoka-kun, I hadn't really thought this out, but-" OYAJI!!
     He presented her with a wrapped box.  "I got this from a company that
is developing a new automatic camera, so I thought that you might be able to
keep it, use it and tell me how it works."
     Ayukawa unwrapped the box and found a small, 35mm camera.  "It's
wonderful, `Otoo-san'."
     "See here, it's got drop-in film loading, a low-level light sensor,
built-in electronic flash,"
WHOOSH!!
     "EEEEH??"
     I teleported Ayukawa and myself out of the living room.

     Once inside my room, I switched on the lights and sat Ayukawa on a
chair.  "Close your eyes," I directed.  Ayukawa did so and I retrieved the
Mahou-no-Tama and placed it around her neck.  The chain turned out to be the
right length, as the stone came to rest right above her heart, between those
lovely, glamorous-
     "Kasuga-kun, even with my eyes closed, I can tell you're having
perverted thoughts!"
EEEEH!!!
     "A woman has a way of telling when a man has sex on the brain." Ayukawa
said.  She opened her eyes and looked down at her pendant.  "It's lovely."
     "That's no ordinary gemstone.  It is supposed to have special powers."
I explained to her about the Mahou-no-Tama, the ability of the stone to
strengthen and enhance a person's inner good qualities.
     "I'll treasure it always, Kasuga-kun.  Just like I'll always treasure
you.  Thank you ever so much."
Then we kissed.  This was a sweet kiss, full of affection, with just a hint
of promises yet to be made.  When we broke it, Ayukawa laid her head on my
shoulder, blinking back her tears.  "I...I don't feel like being alone
tonight..."
     "Ayukawa?"
     "It ain't for that, silly.  I just don't want to have to go back to
that big old empty house."
     KNOCK-KNOCK!!  "Onii-chan, Madoka-san?"  Manami poked her head into the
room.  "I brought you a coffee service.  Madoka-san, I've drawn a bath for
you and laid out some night things."
     "Manami-chan, how'd you..."
     "Onii-chan, I've also made up the sofa for you."
     "Manami," I put in, "Just how did you..."
     "Call it `woman's intuition'."  Manami set the coffee service on the
low table in my room.  "See, this time, I didn't forget the cookies."  Sure
enough, a plate of almond shortbread biscuits was on the tray.
     "My favorite kind, too." Ayukawa said as she surveyed the dish.  "Thank
you for everything."
     "Sparing no effort to please her new `big sister', the daring and
resourceful Manami Kasuga continues the never-ending fight for love and
justice."  She grinned broadly, then left the room.
     "Your whole family is so very kind," Ayukawa said.  "I feel like a
heel, leaving all of you."
     "Don't worry about it.  You'll be back in time for New Year's, right?"
     "Right, we'll go to Hatsumoude together, okay?"
    "Okay.  Now let's get on that coffee before it gets cold."
    "Uh-huh.  Itadakimasu."

     The next morning, Christmas Eve, Ayukawa took a taxi to her house to
collect her luggage, then departed for the airport.  She asked that she be
allowed to leave by herself, so as not to have a prolonged farewell scene at
the terminal.  I respected that, because I knew she would return to me.

     With the money I had left, I got my father some new techno-thriller
novels, Manami and Kurumi each received the charm bracelets I got from the
jeweler, Grandpa got a new briar pipe and Grandma a new shawl.  Christmas
was hectic and joyous as usual, what with the annual party organized by my
`evil friends', Seiji Komatsu and Kazuya Hatta.  But without Ayukawa, the
party seemed that much less fun.
A few days later, I received a thick airmail letter from Ayukawa in America.
     "Kasuga-kun, o-genki desu ka?  I landed at Kennedy Airport in New York
after a terribly long flight..."

*****

     Madoka yawned for the umpteenth time as she fought the effects of her
long flight.
     "Are you all right, Madoka?" her mother, Midori asked.
     "Just fine, Mama.  Just a little jet lag is all."
     "Well, we're glad to see you in any case." her father, Seiji added.
"The first performance starts at 8:00 this evening."
     "Well then, I've got some time to rest up, don't I?"
     "But Madoka, there's a reception hosted by our Consulate at 6:00, plus
we have to get you a decent party gown and a makeover..."
     Madoka had a feeling that it was going to be long time before she got
some sleep.

*****

     I continued reading Ayukawa's letter, "...it wasn't until 2:00 am after
the concert that I finally got to bed.  I thought I was going to be able to
sleep in, but Mama yanked me out of bed at dawn!  `Hurry up and get dressed,
' she said to me, `All of the Fifth Avenue department stores are holding
their After-Christmas sales.  We don't want to miss out!'  Where I found the
energy to get up, I have no idea, save the fact that I wore the
Mahou-no-Tama to bed.  Within a few minutes, I felt as if I had gotten a
full night's rest.  By 8:00 am, Mama and I were shopping in Bergdorf Goodman
and planning to work our way down Fifth Avenue..."

Mahou-no-Tama, Part 2

     Madoka and her mother checked out each of the elite stores along New
York's famous Fifth Avenue shopping street.  What items they bought would be
sent back to their hotel, thus sparing them having to carry their packages
in the crowded streets.  As the two women approached the Saks Fifth Avenue
Department Store, they met with a homeless beggar standing on the street
corner, his ungloved hand stretched out plaintively for donations.  He was
dressed in a faded military overcoat, fatigue trousers and worn-out
basketball shoes.  Madoka's sense of charity, amplified by the
Mahou-no-Tama, moved her to reach into her coat pocket and remove a
carelessly wadded banknote.  She pressed the money into the beggar's hand
and gripped his sympathetically.
     "Arigatou, Ojou-sama." he responded in Japanese.
     "<Do you speak Japanese, sir?>" she asked, curious about this man.
     "A lil' bit, learnt it while's in a military hospital in Japan,
recoverin' from bein' wounded in Vietnam."
     "<Oh.  How came you to be like this?>"
     "Couldn't hol' a job, sufferin' from Delayed Stress Disorder or
somethin' like that.  Anyway, don't worry `bout me, Miss.  I'll be all
right."
     Madoka smiled at the man's outward display of confidence.  "Ganbatte
kudasai, Ojii-san."
     The beggar bowed his head in reply as Madoka made her way back to where
her mother waited to cross the street.

     "How much did you give him?" Midori asked her daughter.
     "I don't know, besides, I think he'll make good use of it.  I didn't
smell any liquor on him."

     The beggar unrolled the money he had been given.  "A twenny!  Them
Japanese are too generous!"  He ambled off in the direction of a mission
center for a hot meal and a bed, stopping briefly to buy a lottery ticket at
a newsstand.

     After shopping in Saks, Madoka and her mother crossed over to Avenue of
the Americas (6th Avenue) to follow the pedestrian traffic back to their
hotel.  However, the women had come to the attention of a group of young
toughs who tended to prey on foreign tourists.  Most of their victims
carried large amounts of cash and seldom contacted the police.  Their MO
remained the same;  two of the gangsters would hound their marks straight
into a trap made up by the other members of the gang.  Then the unfortunates
would be hustled off into a secluded alley where they would be stripped of
their money and valuables, then allowed to go their way.  After several
successful robberies, this gang was confident that they could pull it off on
these two Japanese women.

     "Hey, y'all fine Oriental lay-deez!" Madoka and her mother heard behind
them.  Madoka turned around to see a black youth, dressed in a heavy parka,
baggy jeans and combat-style boots, making his way towards them.
     "Keep moving!" Midori whispered frantically and picked up the pace.
Madoka strode to keep up.
     "Hey, where y'all `s goin'?" they heard, this time a different voice.
The speaker was another young black man wearing a football fan's jacket,
carpenter's pants and hiking boots.  The two men began closing upon the
women.
     "Here, there's a pedestrian crossing!" Madoka's mother said aloud as
she yanked her daughter's sleeve in the direction of the intersection.  The
two women crossed the avenue just as the light changed and barely made it
across, hopefully breaking contact with their pursuers.

     One of the gangsters pulled an expensive compact cellular phone from an
inside pocket and punched a speed dial code.  "Yo, `Shock', got two movin'
yo' way; two Oriental lay-deez in expensive clothes.  Yeah, man, real
expensive-lookin'!  Gotcha, man!"
     "Wha'd `Shock' hav'ta say?" the other thug asked.
     "To not lose `em and make sure they can't get away."
     "Yeah, da posse gonna score big, tonight!"

     Madoka and her mother took turns looking anxiously to the rear as they
hurried along with the bustling foot traffic moving north.  During one of
these rearward looks, Madoka ran into someone in front of her.
     "<Oh, I'm sorry.>" she apologized in English.
     "Dis is as far as you get!" said the person she bumped.  He turned out
to be a huge black man, over six feet tall, dressed in a long leather
trenchcoat with a fur collar.  Two other men, also black, flanked the big
man.  Madoka and her mother could go no further.  As if to seal their fate,
their original pursuers caught up with the group a few moments later.  And
to make matters worse, there was a narrow alley a few meters from where they
were trapped.
     "<What do you people want?>" Madoka asked defiantly.
    "All yo' money and val'bles, BITCH!!" one of the gangsters answered
rudely.
    "If any of you try to scream," the big man warned, "I can quiet you very
quick-like!"  He removed a pistol from an outer pocket, displayed it briefly
and put it back.
     Madoka and her mother were hustled into the alley by the group of
robbers.   Their handbags were taken and searched.
     "SHIT!!  Nothin' but a few singles here," reported one thief with
Midori's purse, "An' these credit cards `ll get canceled in one phone call!"
     "Same here, `Shock'," said another thief as he rifled Madoka's handbag.
"Nothin' in the way of cash!"
     "Look for watches and jewelry, dammit!" ordered the gang's leader.
     A thug bared Midori's wrists.  "Just a watch and weddin' ring, boss!
No bracelets or diamonds!"
     "What kinda watch?"
     "Look like a common steel one you can't git mor `n twenny bucks for at
a pawn shop."
     "Take it an' check da other bitch!"
     Madoka was searched as well.  "Even worse, boss!  No bracelets or
rings, plus she's got one of those plastic `Swatch' things that ain't worth
shit!"
     "Fuck me to tears if this ain't a waste!"
     "Wait a sec,"  One of the thieves restraining Madoka spotted her gold
necklace.  He pulled it to expose the Mahou-no-Tama.  "Lookit at dis, man,
a big-ass ruby!"
     The gang boss inspected it up close.  "Goddam shit's big as my thumb!"
     "Think we can get a lot for it on 47th Street?"
     "Sho'nuff, maybe even a couple `a gran'!"
     The gangster who found the jewel tugged sharply at the chain, but it
would not break.  "SHIT!!  Dis chain's strong!"  He tried using two hands,
but none of the links or even the clasp showed signs of weakening.
     The thug pulling at Madoka's necklace had released one of her arms.
Using her considerable fighting skills, Madoka lashed out with her free arm,
striking the man in his solar plexus.  He dropped like a sack of rice.
     "What da-" a gangster holding Midori was about to swear when Madoka did
a roundhouse kick, smacking the man on the side of his head and driving him
against the wall of the alley.  He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
     "SHIT!!  Tha' bitch knows kung-fu!"
     Another gangster holding Madoka's mother let go of her to try and stop
Madoka's counterattack.  Midori promptly kicked him in the lower back,
sending him into his confederate still gripping Madoka's other arm.  Both
men crashed into the wall.  Madoka, now freed of restraints, caught the two
as they rebounded and cracked their heads together, putting them out of
action.
     The boss, surprised by the sudden turn of events, struggled to pull
his pistol from his coat pocket, but Madoka, speed and strength amplified by
the Mahou-no-Tama, caught him by the coat collar and forced him to his
knees.  She reached down to his wrist and gripped it tightly, forcing him to
release his weapon.
     "Ugggh...goddamn bitch!" he swore through the pain.
     "<My English is not all that good,>" Madoka said forcefully, "<But now,
I
hate to be called `bitch'!>"  She drove her knee into Shock's chest, forcing
the air out of his lungs, then slammed him against the wall in the alley,
knocking him out cold.

     A few moments later a pair of policemen arrived at the scene, having
been notified by an out-of-towner that a pair of women had been abducted on
6th Avenue.  They found Madoka and her mother surrounded by the inert bodies
of the five gangsters.

*****

     "You wouldn't believe the fuss the local news media made of the
incident." Ayukawa's letter read, "Mama and I went back to the hotel after
giving our statements to the police.  We were watching the local news on TV
when we saw a report of the attempted robbery..."

*****

     "Mama, we're on TV!" Madoka shouted from the living room of the hotel
suite.  Her mother emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a terry robe, still
toweling her hair.
     "This afternoon," reported the anchorperson, "A mugging by the infamous
'Shock-Dee Posse' was foiled when their victims, Mrs. Midori Ayukawa, the
concert violinist and her daughter Madoka, a high school student, turned on
their captors and subdued them.  Madoka in partucular, an expert in Martial
Arts, was able to defeat all five of the criminals..."
     "Hey, I kicked one of them in the butt, too!" Midori exclaimed.
     "Mama, please, I'm listening!"
     "Three of the youths suffered concussions, one a pair of broken ribs
and the leader sustained a minor skull fracture, six broken ribs and a
broken wrist when he attempted to use a handgun.  All five members confessed
to robbing foreign tourists over the past year..."
     "You two must have had quite an adventure." Madoka's father said as he
entered the living room.
     "Anata, please, we're listening!" Midori hushed her spouse.
     "In a statement released to the press," the reporter continued,
"Reverend Al Sharpton accused the two Japanese women of racial bias in the
severe injuries sustained by the young black men.  However, when asked for
his comment, General Colin Powell stated that, based on her demonstrated
fighting skills, he would offer Madoka an instructor's position at the Army'
s Special Warfare Center."

*****

     "Another interesting bit of news," I read in Ayukawa's letter, "A
homeless war veteran won the state lottery, a five-million dollar prize.  He
said that a young Japanese woman had given him a twenty-dollar bill, with
which he was able to buy a ticket.  I remember giving some money to a beggar
on Fifth Avenue, so maybe it was me.  The concierge at the hotel desk said
that if he had given the man the money, he'd have sued him in court for half
the winnings.  It makes me glad I don't live here."
It makes me glad, too.

     Ayukawa returned home on New Year's eve as she had promised.  It took
all of us, my dad, my sisters and me, to recover her luggage, because she
returned with six suitcases.  Dad had to rent a van to carry all of us and
the cargo.
     "Mama and I did a lot of shopping." Ayukawa confessed.
     "We see." I replied.  "That was some adventure you had over there,
taking out a gang of robbers."
     "Hey, that's news to us!" chorused my sisters.
Ayukawa related the tale of how she and her mother had been abducted off the
street by a local gang of toughs, only to turn the tables on them.  "Thanks
to the Mahou-no-Tama," she said, "I must have been twice my normal
strength."
     My sisters each received a souvenir T-shirt (Custom-made: "My brother's
girlfriend went to New York and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt!") and Dad
got a picture album of the New York skyline (He said it would inspire him to
take similar pictures of Japanese cityscapes).

     Ayukawa and I went to Hatsumoude at our usual shrine on New Years, then
returned to her house for a meal.  After we ate, she presented me with a
wrapped box.  "I wasn't sure about the size, but I thought I'd make this one
special."
     I opened the package and found a wristwatch, a costly, elite model with
multiple alarms ("That should help you manage your time better," Ayukawa
said jokingly).  She had an inscription engraved on the back: "To my
lifesaver, love, Madoka."
     "I'm... overwhelmed,"
     She wrapped her arms around me, pressing her head against my shoulder.
"Even while we were thousands of kilometers apart, you still managed to
protect me.  I am so lucky to have met you, Kyosuke Kasuga."
     We held each other until we lost track of the minutes.  I could hear
her breath against my shoulder, her heartbeat against my body, those
fabulous breasts pressing my-
     "More perverted thinking, Kyosuke?" Ayukawa asked.  She was taking the
liberty of using my given name.  However, I was reluctant to reciprocate.
     "Aw, come on!"
     She pushed herself away from me "You'd better go home before we get
into trouble," she said.  "Otherwise, who knows what'll happen!"

     I headed for home with a joyous feeling I had never felt before.  I had
made a wish at the shrine during Hatsumoude, that before the year's end,
Ayukawa and me would make love.  I paused on the street to remove my new
watch and read the inscription again:  "...love, Madoka."  Someday, when my
wish comes true, I'll be able to say your name, my angel.  Someday.

Glossary

Anata   How Japanese wives address their husbands (although dictionaries
define it as "you").

Anou   A sound used to get a person's attention, similar to the English
"Excuse me".

Chou-Nou-Ryoku-Sha   The four Kanji meaning "Superpowered Person" or ESPer.

Ganbatte kudasai   Often translated as "Good Luck".

Genkan   The entryway in Japanese homes and apartments where street shoes
are removed.

Hatsumoude   The first act of worship during the New Year at a Shintou
shrine or Buddhist temple.

Itadakimasu    The ritual phrase said before eating or drinking: "I humbly
accept
this food."

Kojiki   The earliest written history of Japan, now considered mostly myth.

Mahou-no-Tama   Literally "Magic Jewel", the ruby-red jewel Kyosuke gives to
Madoka in the story.

O genki desu ka?   "How are you?"  Salutation in a Japanese letter

Ojii-san   "Grandfather", in this case, fictive (socially polite) usage,
toward an older male, not a blood relative.

Ojoo-sama   "Honorable young lady"  Respectful term of address to a young
lady

Otoo-san   "Father"  Madoka calls Kyosuke's dad, "Father" as if she were
addressing her Father-in Law.

Oyaji   A rough, but intimate term of address for one's dad, used almost
exclusively by teenage and older males.

Omake  A little extra some merchants include in a deal.  No doubt under the
influence of the Mahou-no-Tama, Kyosuke's jeweler threw in two charm
bracelets as something extra for having mounted the Magic Jewel on a chain.

Otoshidama   A New Years gift of cash made by parents or grandparents to
their offspring.