Kimagure Orange Road: The Red Straw Hat II

Okay, an introduction about this particular piece of fan fiction:

I discovered Kimagure Orange Road only in 1997, and whoo boy, did I miss out! I'm hooked, and I freely admit it. I've seen every television episode, all of the OAVs and both movies, read two of the three novels, and have every volume of the Manga published by Jump Comics. I discovered the show thanks to a spoof of it done in the fourth Project A-ko movie. If you've been to some of my other pages you've seen my devotion to Project A-ko.

I've written three fanfics set in the Project A-ko world, and they've been well received by the Internet community, for which I am grateful. I have also one rather long novel under my belt which is also available on-line called "Senses". (I recommend that you read the first two chapters to get familiar with the brothers Christopher - Click here). I wrote most of in during the 1980s, and it features a collection of "ESPers" (although I don't call them that) and their adventures together. It's not at all like KOR; the situations are far more adult and my lead character of Jim Christopher is crude, rude, obnoxious and vulgar, while still a nice guy at heart.

In putting together this page I've wanted to do a piece of fan fiction set in the KOR world, but it's much harder here than it was in the Project A-ko world because the rules of this universe are much better established. Also, KOR has a sense of continuity that A-ko did not, and I didn't want to disrupt that. I also thought it might be fun for Kyosuke to meet up with my character of Jim Christopher, but I couldn't find a context to make that work.

Then I finally got a hold of the Manga thanks to Kinokuniya Books in San Francisco. All of the characters look as I had expected them to (I've seen the TV show, after all) EXCEPT for ABCB's Master. He looked a bit different from the animated character I had expected (below). He looked like... how do I put this?

HE LOOKED LIKE ME!

I had to set the book down and pour myself a drink when I first saw the picture of Master. As you can imagine, I was a bit shook up. Then I got back to reading and discovered that I really liked this character, and admired how he handled his knowledge of the Triangle relationship. If you read the Manga, you can easily see that Master knew all along what was going on between Madoka and Kyosuke, and respected Madoka's feelings on the matter while trying to help Kyosuke as well. Like I said, I like Master.

Now, I've gotten a lot of flack about my character of Jim Christopher. It's been pointed out more than once that he bears a close resemblance to me. While that's somewhat true (all three Christopher brothers do) I made Jim clean shaven, a bit taller, a bit thinner, and gave him longer hair. Can you see where I'm going?

Once I realized that I could make Jim Christopher resemble Master with only a few alterations, I then needed some kind of plot mechanism. In reading the last two chapters of the Manga, where Hikaru finally learns the truth and Kyosuke confesses his love to Madoka, I discovered a gaping hole in the story line although you can accept it on face value.

(If you've not read the Manga, here's a spoiler - it's not like the videos - be warned!) Hikaru discovers the truth about Kyosuke and Madoka when she learns that Kyosuke has the red straw hat that Madoka has had for all these years. She runs screaming into the night. Then Kyosuke learns that Hikaru has learned everything because (again) of the red straw hat, which he holds in his hands while Manami apologizes for showing it to Hikaru. Later, when everyone is seeing Madoka off to America, Hikaru runs to confront everyone and she's wearing the red straw hat. It makes for a tear-bringing ending that makes the whole series work. But...

HOW DID SHE GET THE HAT?

It's established in the subsequent scenes that Hikaru hasn't seen either Kyosuke or Madoka since discovering the truth, and everyone else is in shock at seeing her with the hat. So how did she get it? She didn't go back to the Kasuga apartment, and she hasn't seen anyone. Come to think of it, if she hadn't spoken with anyone, how did she find out about Madoka leaving for America? (Okay, so Madoka left a message with Hikaru's mother, but it's been shown that they didn't speak to each other all that much, so...)

Ah, I suddenly had my story.

Okay. The following story opens about three months before the events in the future part of Shin Kimagure Orange Road. By that I mean that it's three months before the 22 year old Kyosuke disappears while in Bosnia, so the 19 year old Kyosuke hasn't arrived yet (and won't in my story - you should read the novel itself). It also takes place in the space of time between Hikaru discovering that she's been rejected and the time Madoka leaves for America. You'll see what I mean as we go.

One more note. It's safe to assume that despite my having written this in English, that most of the story takes place in Japanese. However, there will be some exceptions. Jim Christopher speaks Japanese, but his brother A.J. does not. Therefore, when I have characters speak in English, instead of using quotes ("like this") I will use <> symbols (<like this>).

The Red Straw Hat II

I'm sure it's just coincidence, but I actually looked at that old red straw hat that morning. Oh, if I had only known...

* * * * *

"Who are they?"

"Americans," Madoka answered. I was at her home, eating lunch. I didn't have any assignments that day, so I had been looking forward to a relaxing afternoon with my lady love. However, she had a business meeting scheduled for the early afternoon regarding her music.

"Anyone I might have heard of?" I asked.

"Probably. Their names are Jim Christopher and A.J. Christopher."

"Urk!" Yes, I had heard of them. How could I have not heard of them? They're world famous! And... "And they're coming here?" I asked.

"That's right. Apparently Jim Christopher has heard one of my songs and wants to record it." Madoka paused. "I do have to wonder how he even heard it though."

"Wouldn't your publisher normally handle a matter like this?" I asked.

"Normally. But my publisher says that it can't be done that way in this case, because they don't know about the song."

Eh? "What does that mean?"

Madoka shook her head. "I honestly don't know. I'll find out shortly I suppose."

I nodded and returned to my lunch. But it was exactly as I took my first bite of curry that I suddenly realized just how dangerous having these two come to Madoka's home just might be. I nearly choked.

Madoka rushed over to me. "Is it too hot?" she asked. She always asks that, and I suppose that by now she's used to me, so I ignored the comment.

"Would you like me to be here?" I asked. "After all, this Jim Christopher has a reputation..."

Madoka batted her pretty eyelashes at me. "Reputation?" she asked.

"He's a playboy! And he has a reputation for acting in a way no decent person should!"

Madoka gave a small smile. "People used to say that about other people, you know..." she didn't finish the sentence. She was referring to how people used to look at her, of course, and her comment hit home.

"I suppose I should let you to business then," I said, abashed.

"Actually..." Madoka blushed. "I would prefer that you stayed..."

Ah! She was a bit worried too. Americans! They could make my old friends Komatsu and Hatta seem like choirboys!

So I stayed and finished my lunch, and at precisely 1:00 PM the doorbell rang. I decided to answer the door and received two of the biggest shocks of my life.

* * * * *

First, there was A.J. Christopher. In my entire life I had never met anyone so tall. He was nearly half a meter taller than me, and had to duck to get in through the front door after I invited them in. And then there was Jim. I probably looked like an idiot, standing there with my mouth open as they walked in. I closed the door and followed them into the front room, where Madoka waited.

Madoka stood staring at the pair for a moment, then said "Master?" pointing at the shorter of the two men.

So she thought so too.

The tall man looked at the other. <What did she just call you?> he asked.

Jim looked up at his brother. <Master,> he replied. <Don't ask me why, I don't know.> He bowed to Madoka. "Hajimemashite," he said. "I am Jim Christopher. Please forgive my Japanese, I've only been speaking it for a few years. This is my younger brother A.J., who speaks no Japanese at all."

Madoka shook herself out of the stupor first. She bowed in return. "Forgive me," she said. "Hajimemashite. I am Ayukawa Madoka, this is Kasuga Kyosuke." She stood up straight again.

"Please call me Jim," he said.

Madoka, bless her heart, actually blushed. "Madoka," she said.

"Kyosuke," I chimed in, joining her. If they were going to be informal we could too. "Please forgive how startled we were when you first walked in."

Jim chuckled. "Yeah, my brother's size can do that," he said.

Madoka shook her head. "It's not that. Well, it's partly that. It's just that you bear a striking resemblance to someone we both know."

Jim raised an eyebrow. "Really? This 'Master' I presume."

We both nodded.

Jim laughed. "Maybe I'll keep the beard then," he said. "I only grew it in the last month."

"It suits you," Madoka said. "You're a couple of centimeters taller, and a bit thinner, his voice is different, and obviously you're not Japanese, but otherwise you look exactly like him. You're probably even about the same age."

"A friend." Jim said.

"Yes," I replied. I took Madoka's hand for a moment. "We both owe him a great deal."

Jim nodded, understanding. You could see it in his eyes. He turned and explained what had just happened to his brother, but it was hard to tell if it was registering. The tall man was staring at me.

"It would probably be easy to confuse the two of you on a dark night," I added nervously. It bothered me how A.J. was looking at me.

Jim finally had to shout at his brother to get his attention. <You're being rude!> he said. A.J. snapped out of it and grinned. Coming from a man that big it was frightening, and both Madoka and I took a step back. A.J. then bowed and apologized, which Jim translated. Then it was down to business.

"Which of my songs are you interested in?" Madoka asked.

"Ah, I don't know," Jim said.

"Eh?"

"You haven't published it as far as I can tell, which is why your publisher arranged for us to meet. It's a piano piece that I'd like to include on my next solo album. I don't even know the title and have only heard it second-hand, but my brother can play a bit of it for you. He's heard it more often than I have."

Madoka looked back at them both wide-eyed. "How could you have possibly have heard an unpublished composition of mine?"

"It's a long story," Jim replied. "I'd like A.J. to play a bit of it for you first, just to confirm that you are in fact the author of the piece."

Madoka nodded and pointed the big man to the piano in the room. A.J. sat down at it with some difficulty and ran a few scales at a speed I found incredible. Then he started playing the tune.

This brought both Madoka and I yet another shock. Yes, she had written it. I can remember the first time I really heard it, on the night Madoka and I made love for the first time. (Well, actually, I had heard it once before a month earlier but that's complicated). I know every note of the song, and winced when the big man played a portion of it wrong. How could I not? After all, the song is named after me.

Kyosuke #1.

Madoka finally rushed over to the piano and stopped A.J. from playing. She looked his straight in the eye and asked, "How on earth could you possibly know about that song?"

* * * * *

Jim translated Madoka's question to his brother, who nodded and said <Tell them>. I know enough English to have understood that.

"I have only heard my brother play the song," Jim started. "I have never heard a recording of it, although he has. This story happened to him, but I'll need to tell it due to my brother's lack of knowing your language."

Madoka joined me on the couch while Jim sat in a chair facing us. A.J. stayed at the piano, and he stared at me again. I did my best to ignore him as Jim told the tale...

* * * * *

A.J. Christopher had accepted the invitation of an old friend to watch tryouts for a musical being put on in New York. His friend had written some of the music, and wanted A.J.'s opinion of the material and some of the singers. So A.J. flew to New York and was at a theater on Broadway watching young girls try out for various parts.

There was a whole group of young Japanese girls trying out for some of the parts. They were obviously friends, and they sat in the seats along with the people deciding the auditions. It seemed to A.J. that they were trying to learn about the whole process, as if they didn't expect this role but wanted to learn so that they could land the next one.

A.J. found this fascinating. Thanks to his brother finding fame at a young age, he had found it even younger, with his first album having been released when he was 16. He had never had to work for stardom, and therefore found the process of struggle fascinating. After a moment he decided to introduce himself to the girls.

When he walked up and introduced himself, most of the girls looked up first in horror, then awe. In America most people as big as A.J. would be stared at, but in addition A.J. was one of the biggest selling artists in the U.S. They all knew who he was. He talked with them for a few minutes, discovering that they all attended the same school learning theater. "Even her?" A.J. had asked, pointing to the one on the end rapturously listening to a tape on a walkman.

A.J. did a double-take upon looking closer at the girl at the end of the row. He had never seen a blonde Japanese before outside of his brother Jim's Manga and Anime collection, and had a couple of stereotypes shattered with one glance. And the girl at the end seemed to suddenly be aware that she was being stared at, and looked up at A.J. for the first time.

"Kya!" The scream was so loud that even A.J. leaned back.

After the initial embarrassment, A.J. introduced himself to the young girl and asked what she was listening to. She simply handed over the headphones and let him listen.

A.J. was awestruck. It was a beautiful and obviously modern piece, and he had never heard it before. "Who is this?" he asked.

"A friend of mine," the girl replied. She became misty-eyed. "From long ago."

"Could I get a copy of this?" A.J. asked.

The girl shook her head. "I'm not sure Madoka-san would like it..." at that moment the young girl's name was called and she went to audition for the role. A.J. held onto the walkman and listened to the piece, memorizing it.

"Jim would love this," he thought.

* * * * *

"Hikaru-chan!" I exclaimed.

It had been nearly three years since I last saw the girl who was once Madoka's best friend. The woman that was once part of the triangle made up of the three of us. It had crumbled during my last year of high school, when I finally made up my mind and declared my love for Madoka. Hikaru had been hurt badly, and it was my fault. I knew that Madoka and Hikaru still spoke from time to time, but I had had no idea that she had sent a copy of that song to her.

A.J., at the piano still, nodded. "Hikaru Hiyama," he said. He was still staring at me.

"Hiyama Hikaru," Madoka corrected, with a wistful smile on her face. "So you met Hikaru in New York."

"My brother did, not me," Jim said. "When A.J. returned to Los Angeles he played the piece for me and we decided to start searching for you. It took us nearly a month, and we're well connected. We finally ran into your parents and they led us here."

Madoka blushed. "I'm not a star," she said. "I don't really want to be."

Jim laughed. "I don't blame you. Being a celebrity is a pain in the ass."

Both Madoka and I laughed in reply. She looked at the big man. "You remembered the piece fairly well," she said. Jim translated.

A.J. smiled and nodded. <Thanks.>

"My brother has a photographic memory," Jim said. "So we were pretty certain about the quality of the song."

"You got a portion of it wrong," I said. Again, Jim translated, with a look of surprise on his face.

<I did that intentionally,> A.J. said.

<Excuse me?> Jim asked.

<I wanted to see the reaction equation from Kyosuke over there. Most interesting.>

<What?>

"What?" I asked. "What's going on?"

Madoka looked at me. "He said that he played that part of the song wrong on purpose," Madoka said. I had forgotten that her command of English was much better than mine.

Jim looked at Madoka. <You speak English,> he said.

Madoka smiled. <A little.>

Now I was feeling really left out. Madoka must have sensed this. "Kyosuke doesn't, and your Japanese is better than my English, so let's continue to speak in this language."

Jim nodded.

Then A.J. finally stopped staring at me and turned to his brother. He then said something long and complicated in English that I couldn't follow at all. But it must have been something. Both Jim and Madoka went wide-eyed with surprise.

"What? What?" I asked.

Jim looked back and forth between his brother and me, as if trying to piece together a puzzle. Madoka shook her head and motioned me closer, so that she could whisper in my ear.

"Kasuga-kun! He said that you are one of them!" she said.

* * * * *

Because of how she whispered to me, I knew immediately what she meant. The Power! They knew about the Power! How could these strangers from another land possibly know about something like that? In the past years I had been extremely careful about using the Power, especially as my skills had grown since high school. Besides, my sisters and my cousins were still in school and we needed to keep this secret for their sake!

Yet another shock, and it was the worst one yet!

While I was digesting this bit of information, Jim was looking at his brother. <Are you certain about that?> he asked. In response, A.J. pointed to his eyes, then his head, as if this meant something.

Jim shook his fist at his brother angrily. <If you're wrong about this we're fucked!>

<When am I ever wrong about this?> A.J. answered. <His head positively glows!>

Madoka translated this for me. I leaned to whisper to her. "Why do they think that I'm a danger to them?" I asked.

Madoka shook her head. She was a bewildered as I was.

Jim slowly turned to face us. "I apologize about that," he said, "but this is important. More important than the song. How close are the two of you?"

Both Madoka and I turned red. "We've been together since junior high school," Madoka said. To hear those words warmed my heart.

"We have no secrets from each other," I added.

Jim nodded, gravely. "Fair enough. I don't know if what's about to happen will shock you or not. My brother has made an educated guess about you." He pointed at me. "He seems to believe that we share a secret. I can't tell you how he knows this, at least not yet. Not until I know for sure that he's right. I therefore need to be able to trust the both of you with my secret. Can I do that?"

Madoka looked up, obviously surprised. I stood and nodded. "You can trust me," I said. "And her." I had a sudden feeling in my heart that I knew what was about to happen. It turned out that I was right.

Jim nodded again, and then proceeded to stand up. He then folded his legs under himself, but remained at the same height he was, floating about a meter off the ground.

Even though I had suspected it came as a surprise. He had the Power! I looked at A.J. to see him doing the same thing his brother was. So that's how they knew! The had the ability themselves!

I looked down at Madoka, whose eyes had never seemed wider, and she's known about my family of ESPers for years now. She nodded at me, and with a confidence I didn't feel I made the same maneuver.

"My god!" Jim exclaimed. He stood back up, and A.J. floated back to the piano bench. I also went back to standing. I hadn't done a simple levitation in a while.

"So you have the Power as I do," I said.

Jim smiled. "The Power," he stated. "We don't refer to it that way, but yes, it seems we have some of the same abilities. How many people outside of family know about you?"

I looked down at Madoka. "One," I said.

Jim wiped his brow. "Then you do understand. Like you, we've kept this a secret. We want it to stay that way."

I nodded. "So do I."

Jim looked at his brother. "Unbefuckinglievable!" he said.

Jim had to translate that one, and to his credit blushed while doing so.

* * * * *

We spent the next several days together, learning about each other and the differences in what we do. I have always considered my family's abilities to be somewhat mystical, while Jim and A.J. approached their abilities from a scientific bent. Americans!

We learned about A.J.'s odd eyesight, which led him to suspect me in the first place, and just how many differences there were. They had never experienced a time-slip, while I couldn't keep levitation going as long as they could. They both could drink more alcohol than I ever could, but then again I can levitate other things and teleport, which they can't do. They had never experienced premonition dreams, and apparently their other brother didn't have any talents like these at all. We talked about families for a bit, although I kept Kazuya and Akane out of the descriptions. I introduced them to my sisters and they both demanded autographs.

We also introduced Jim to Master. They were both surprised at the resemblance, and just to add to the confusion Jim started imitating Master's voice. With my eyes closed I could not tell them apart!

It turned out that Jim, despite the fact that he swears more than any other human being I have ever met, is actually a decent person. He was always discreet about when to ask about the Power, and when to demonstrate his own abilities, and he had a disarming ability to get a person to open up. He talked about his love, a woman named Karen, with such freedom and admiration that it made both Madoka and I blush. And I found that we would tell him about our past as well.

But finally Jim asked how we knew Hikaru, and that turned out to be hard for either of us to speak about. Finally Jim had A.J. talk about her, and through Jim's translations we discovered that A.J. thought she seemed lonely. Much to my surprise, I found that I still felt guilty about it, and Madoka did as well.

But it took Master to break the ice and get us talking. He gave a brief overview of the situation to Jim, and we found ourselves opening up about it. We talked about it for nearly two days, and it felt like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders.

When we finally told Jim and A.J. about the scene at the airport when Madoka had left for America, both of them had tears in their eyes. So did Madoka, and I had trouble keeping them back, despite reliving that scene thousands of times in the years since. I explained the significance of the red straw hat, and Jim nodded with a slight smile.

"It's an amazing story," he said while Master brought us all drinks. "Sounds almost like something Jump Comics would have run back in the 80s."

"I suppose so," I said. "There were even harder moments after that, when Madoka and I were studying for the college entrance exams. I finally told her that I never wanted to see her again, and she moved away. Then she moved to New York to study acting. Madoka has stayed in touch with her, but I haven't seen her since." I said nothing about the time-slip when I ran into her, as Madoka didn't know about that. She wouldn't for a few months yet.

"I see," Jim said. He translated my statements to A.J.

A.J. nodded. <It explains a lot,> he said. <Ask if she would know about the title of the piano piece.>

Jim asked, and Madoka answered, "Yes. To be honest, I didn't even think about it when I sent the tape to her."

Jim looked at his brother with a question in his eye, then back at me as the question must have been answered. "She's not over you," he stated.

This took me by surprise. I started to stammer a response but Madoka came to my rescue.

"I don't think any of us will ever fully recover from those days," she said. "It was a turning point for all of us."

"It's who we are," I added.

Jim nodded.

<One thing puzzles me,> A.J. said. <How did Hikaru get the hat?> Jim translated.

I thought about that one for a moment. "She left it behind when she ran from our apartment," I said. "I know that because Manami handed me the hat when she apologized for showing it to Hikaru-chan. She didn't come back, and I didn't see her again until the airport." I looked at Madoka. "How did she get the hat?" I asked.

Madoka smiled. "You can thank Master for that," she said. She looked up because Master had returned with the drinks at that exact same moment.

Master coughed. "You're mistaken about that," he said.

We all looked up. "I didn't even know about the hat until the airport that day," Master said. "Hikaru-chan has always kept in touch with me, and she even thanked me once for getting the hat for her, but I haven't the slightest idea why she said that. Did she tell you she got the hat from me?"

Madoka nodded.

"How would that have even been possible?" Master laughed a deep laugh. "A mystery, eh? I like that!" He then walked away.

Jim leaned close to me. "Does he know about you?"

"No," I said. "Master is grounded too deeply for that."

Jim shook his head. "Fascinating," he said. "So how did she get the hat?"

Now a rumbling began deep within my soul. When I was younger I had a habit of jumping to conclusions too quickly, but I had gotten over that. But the first idea that came to my mind frightened me. I must have looked a little dumbstruck because Madoka shook me. "What is it?" she asked.

"It hasn't happened yet," I whispered.

"What?" Both Madoka and Jim said this.

"It hasn't happened yet," I repeated. I looked up at Madoka. "This is trouble. If she never gets that hat our entire lives are changed."

"Wait! Time out!" Jim said. "I've never time-slipped as you call it so I don't understand, but doesn't the fact that we're here now mean that she did get the hat?"

"Yes, but she didn't get it in our pasts," I replied quickly. "Which means she gets it in our future, but her past. That means that someone has to go back and give it to her."

Madoka had caught it all by now. "Someone who looks like Master," she said, looking at Jim.

Jim practically flew out of his chair. "You've got to be kidding me!" He looked at A.J. <They want to send me back in time to give Hikaru the hat!>

He looked back at me. "Even if I could do what you ask, which I can't, I have no idea what Hiyama Hikaru even looks like! I don't know where you lived, or where she would be at any given moment. Plus, I'd be a stranger. I do look like Master and can even sound like him, but under close scrutiny it wouldn't even work."

"Please sit down," Madoka said. He did. "First of all, it rained that night, so if you were in a raincoat or dressed heavily I think you could pass for Master. Second, we can show you what she looked like then, and where everyone lived. I know that she went to ABCB that night, because she almost ran into me, and did run into Master then. She told me that she ran into Yuu-kun later, and then went home alone."

"Probably when she reaches her home then," I said. "We can take a day or so and show you around so that you would know what to do?"

Jim was staring at us both. "And supposing I could get there, how the hell would I get back?" he asked. "I don't have this power."

"I couldn't send you there anyway," I sighed. "I've never been able to do a time-slip in any form except by accident, and then it was only myself..."

I looked at Madoka, who had obviously already figured out the way around this one. I did too, and we both said it at the same time.

"Ojiichan!"

* * * * *

So while Madoka showed Jim what to do and where everyone lived at the time, I invited my grandfather to join us. when he arrived, we went through the usual pleasantries and I sat him down to explain the situation. When I was finished, he stroked his mustache thoughtfully.

"An American with the Power," he said. "I wouldn't have ever thought it possible."

"Can you help us?" I asked. "Take him back in time to the right date, and then bring him back?"

"I can. But should I?"

"Eh?"

"You don't know for certain that this American is the reason this time line has remained intact. By the same token, however, we will never know unless we do this." He paused. "All right, I'll help you. You trust this American enough to do this?"

"I don't think I have any choice," I said. "Grandfather, I don't want to lose the past three years I've had with Madoka. Even if the timeline changes and we're still together it would be a different three years than these, and I don't want to lose a second we've had."

He laughed. "Then we'll just have to set things right, won't we?"

Two days later we were ready, and although Jim was still apprehensive, he bowed deeply to Ojiichan and said that he was ready to do this, and was honored to have a wise escort along. Grandfather had to go with him so that he would be able to return.

And then with a flash, they were gone.

* * * * *

I was raining hard when Jim and Ojiichan materialized outside the Kasuga apartment building. They took a moment to orient themselves, then ducked behind some bushes when a young girls voice called out "Hikaru-chan!"

The front door of the complex opened and a young girl ran out. She was crying. "Leave me alone!" she yelled back at the building. Jim looked after her, astonished.

"Was that Hikaru-chan?" he asked.

Ojiichan coughed. "It seems that we're a bit early," he said.

"She's beautiful," Jim commented.

"That she is. Kyosuke spent three indecisive years trying to figure out who he wanted more."

"I'm starting to understand why." Jim brushed himself off. "So now what do we do? We can't go get the hat yet, because Kyosuke hasn't had his talk with Manami yet."

Ojiichan laughed. "We wait," he said.

An hour later a younger Kyosuke came home, and Jim watched as he whistled his way into the building. "He has no idea what's about to hit him, does he?" he said.

"None at all."

The conversation with Manami happened quickly, and Kyosuke came running out of the apartment building again, to go find Madoka.

"Now," Ojiichan said.

Jim nodded and levitated to the apartment the Kasuga family lived in. He searched for Kyosuke's room, but when he found it the window was locked. He floated back to the ground.

"Can you unlock a window?" He asked.

"It's easy. Why don't you just do it?" Ojiichan asked.

"Because it's not one of my powers," Jim answered.

"Humph. Americans."

Jim carried Ojiichan on his back and levitated again. They reached the window and Ojiichan opened it. The red straw hat nearly flew at them, as Ojiichan levitated it with the Power. Jim grabbed it and closed the window. The two of them lowered themselves to the ground.

"Now, to Hikaru-chan's" Ojiichan said, and they teleported.

* * * * *

A moment later, they were outside the Hiyama residence. The rain was stopping, but Jim wore the hat to keep from catching cold. "You're on your own for this next part," Ojiichan said. "I was at my own home that day, so I shouldn't be seen by her."

Jim nodded. "I'll just wait here. Come back in an hour or so. It should be over by then."

Ojiichan winked and then vanished.

<I sure as hell wish I could do that,> Jim said.

He had to wait another half hour before Hikaru stumbled her way to the front of her home. She looked to Jim like she had been crying ever since leaving the Kasuga apartment. She was about to open the door at the gate when Jim spotted her. Here goes, he thought.

"Hikaru-chan!"

Hikaru looked down the street to see a shadowy figure wearing a wide hat.

"Who's there?" she asked, her voice drained.

Jim took a few steps forward. "It's me," he said, unsure of what else to say. He had never learned Master's real name, and didn't even know if Hikaru would know.

"Master?" Hikaru said fearfully. "I don't want to see you!"

"I know," Jim said.

"You've always known, haven't you? You knew from the beginning, didn't you?"

Jim hesitated. "Yes," he finally said.

"I thought all of you were my friends!"

Jim took a step back. "We are Hikaru-chan, we are."

"Then why couldn't any of you have told me that sempai loves... that he loves..." she sat down on the ground, sobbing again.

Jim walked slowly over to Hikaru, wanting to try to comfort her but knowing that if he got too close the whole thing would be ruined. "Hikaru-chan," he began, "it's hard to explain. Neither one of them wanted to see you hurt, and Madoka really wanted to keep her promise to you. But she loves him too, and the conflict she's been feeling all this time has finally come to the surface. I know she's agonized over this. She's afraid..."

Hikaru looked up. "Afraid?"

Jim coughed. "She's afraid to lose you as a friend," he said.

Hikaru looked down, considering it.

"As for me," Jim continued, "it has never been my place to interfere in this. I was your age once myself, you know. I can tell each of you how it feels because I've been in each of your roles."

Hikaru sobbed again. "But it hurts so much," she said.

"And it will for a while yet," Jim answered. "That's okay though. You wouldn't be who you are without feeling that pain. I... I'm sorry it turned out this way, Hikaru-chan."

Hikaru nodded, but didn't look up.

Jim took off the red straw hat, and placed it on Hikaru's head. "You'll want this," he said.

Hikaru took the hat from her head and stared at it. "If it wasn't for this..." she started.

"...then you'd still be blind," Jim said. "And Madoka would be heading to America an unhappy woman, and Kyosuke would still be with you, but be miserable and missing her."

"Madoka is leaving for America?" Hikaru looked up, startled.

Oh shit! Jim thought. She didn't know! He backed away quickly.

Hikaru looked down again. "So that's why..." Hikaru thought about the events of earlier in the day, when the rumor had first gone around that Madoka had been suspended from school and Master had even offered to close ABCB to keep the suspension from going through. It hadn't been true, but it was what had started everything tumbling down around her.

"Master," Hikaru began.

"Yes?"

"What am I to do? I've already lost sempai. I don't want to lose my best friend as well."

Jim leaned down and touched the hat. "You'll need this," he said. "You're growing up too, Hikaru-chan. You'll figure out what to do."

Jim walked away. Hikaru stood up and yelled, "Master!"

Jim turned around. "Yes?"

"Thank you! I won't forget this!" Hikaru held the hat close to herself, and went into her house.

Jim walked down the block, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Whew! It worked!"

Then there was a flash of light.

* * * * *

Jim and Ojiichan reappeared only a few seconds after they had left.

"Well?" I asked.

Jim sat down, obviously exhausted. "She got the hat," he said. "That was one messed up girl. It seemed to me that her entire world had collapsed that night."

I sat down, feeling both relieved and guilty. "It did," I said. "To this day I regret that."

Jim nodded. "She didn't want to lose you both," he said. I looked up surprised, and so did Madoka. "At least that's what she said. I think that's what finally drove her to leave, the feeling that she had lost you both." He looked at grandfather. "Thank you for this," he said.

"My pleasure young man," Ojiichan replied. "What you did was very moving."

Jim bowed. He looked at his brother. <I need a fucking drink,> he said.

"What?" I asked.

Jim smiled. "Sake!"

* * * * *

Two more days passed and then the Christopher brothers were to head for home. We talked more about the events of our lives, and then on the last day as A.J. was making travel arrangements Jim came to Madoka's house and asked me something I would have never expected.

"Why don't the two of you come join us?" he asked. "Your abilities are so different from ours that we'd love to have you as part of the team trying to figure out all of this."

"I don't know," I said. "I like living in Japan. My experiences with America haven't all been pleasant."

Jim chuckled. "Same for me, but don't you want to know how it all works?"

I hadn't ever considered it. I had, before meeting these two men, always considered the Power to be a gift, and not something to be questioned. I suppose that's one major difference between the Americans and the Japanese.

"Thank you," I said, "but no. I'm happy with the way things are now, and my work forces me to travel a lot. I have an upcoming assignment in Bosnia to consider. Maybe afterwards."

Jim smiled. "Fair enough." He sighed. "It's amazing how life runs sometimes. From wanting to record a piece for piano to traveling into the past. Who would have thought it?"

I had to laugh. "Certainly not me," I said.

Madoka joined us from the other room. "And what about my song?" she asked. "I never said one way or another whether you could use it."

Jim looked down. "Forgive me, my friend, but I have to rescind my request."

We were both a bit surprised.

He shook his head. "I met Hikaru-chan," he said. "I don't think I could live with myself if I were to record this song and it became popular. It would be like a slap in the face for her. I know she likes the song, but I think it's holding her back."

Madoka looked seriously at him for a moment, then let out a breath of air. "Thank you," she said. "After all you've done for us I didn't know how to refuse the request."

A tear came to Jim's eye, which he quickly brushed away. "I simply couldn't do it to her. She needs to get free of her pain. I won't contribute to extending it. I like to think that I'm a better person than that."

Madoka smiled, and then after looking to me first, kissed him on the cheek. "You are," she said.

Jim Christopher, perhaps the rudest person it has even been my pleasure to meet, blushed. He then handed me a card with his phone number in America. "You're welcome any time," he said.

Then he said good-bye, bring closure to one of the defining moments of my life.

* * * * *

A month later, I received a package in the mail from America that had a tape enclosed. It was from Jim, with a single song on it called "Big Mistake". I've reprinted the lyrics in full, complete with the notes about who is speaking to whom within the song:

Kyosuke to Madoka:

You gave me a red straw hat on that first day

A small momento I keep of you

I am dreaming it might mean something more for us

I find I am dreaming just of you

 

But sometimes I find you are cold to the touch - and I

Wonder what does this mean? - and I don't

Understand my feelings I have for you

 

Kyosuke to Hikaru:

Now you say she's leaving for America

Why did I have to find this out from you?

This is like a terrible dream that tears me up inside

And my consolation prize it you

 

And sometimes I find you are warm to the touch - and I

Don't want to cause any pain - and I don't

understand my feelings I have you

 

It was a big mistake

To open my heart this way

To picture myself this way

I was a big mistake

 

(keyboards solo)

 

Kyosuke to Madoka:

I have to tell you I would wait for you forever

So that I could spend my life with you

I have my secret I need to share - talents yet to demonstrate

I will never keep secrets from you

 

It's not a big mistake

To open my heart this way

For us to feel this way

It's not a big mistake

He says that he plans to release it on the Japanese version of his new album as a hidden track in place of Kyosuke #1. When he next tours here he plans to have a full supply of red straw hats to give out to the audience. He says that he'll send Madoka and I tickets.

Should be fun. I do like rock music, after all.

*****END*****

Oh, one more note: "Big Mistake" is a real song, written by the real Jim Christopher, who also looks a great deal like me;)> © 1998 Antinomy Music , All Rights Reserved. So there!

-Chris Reed, 1998.