Um... seems I started another fanfic, in yet another series. I think I'll
be changing some of my plans. I'll get to work on Tylor's Fury right away,
and try to finish it up before doing anything else. I've also got to get
to work on the first part of that Ranma\AD Police fic, and a Slayers fanfic
idea I've got. Well, I don't know right now. Maybe I'll stick with my
original plans and write the next chapters of Three Souls, One Heart, Ushio
and Tora: Discoveries, and my Princess Mononoke fanfic before getting to
finishing up Tylor's Fury. We'll see...
At any rate, here's the fic...
Kimagure Orange Road: The Rebel Esper
by David A. Tatum
Disclaimer: The characters and settings of Kimagure Orange Road do not
belong to me by any stretch of the imagination- instead, they belong to
Matsumoto Izumi (the author of the manga) and Toho\Studio Pierrot. The
English translation is done by Animeigo. Our respect is due to the above.
Any and all original characters in this fic, however, do belong to me (of
course). I dunno if any respect is due to me or not... oh, well.
Author's Notes: Kill me. Please. As if I didn't have enough series I was
working on at once, recieving three of the Kimagure Orange Road TV tapes
I'd ordered months ago sparked an interest that could not be ignored in
writing a fanfic for that series. So, I just gave up my plans to not start
anything new until I finished at least one of the series I was working on,
and began this thing. Soon, I think I'll start a Slayers fanfic as well
(just because once I start, the floodgates will open), and may even get
going on that Ranma\ADPolice fanfic that was the sequel to 'How Do I File
This One.' These, in addition to Guide in the Wilderness, Tylor's Fury,
Ushio and Tora: Discoveries, Patlabor: Personal Files, Three Souls One
Heart, Return of the Sisters (It ISN'T dead, just suspended- REALLY!
HONEST!), my untitled Princess Mononoke fanfic, a Voltron oneshot lemon
(*cough*) I promised another mailing list, Language Lessons (which again,
isn't dead, just suspended- I lost one of my OWN Japanese lesson tapes, and
until I find it or replace it I'm stuck. However, I have been writing a
lot of the non-lesson segments for this fic, so once I get chapter 2 out,
I'll be able to move on with a large number of other chapters in rapid
succession), and, yes, more stuff that I haven't started yet but will one
day. *sigh* Um, I think I'm going to be writing fanfics for quite some
time... hopefully, I won't get any MORE ideas for fanfics in any OTHER
series any time soon.... Oh, by the way, this is based entirely on the TV
series (I haven't actually seen all of it, but I've seen plenty to write
this fanfic with, and I've read episode summaries for what I haven't seen),
the OAVs, and the first movie. I'm dumping Shin KOR, because it
contradicts certain ideas I have for a major element of the fic, and
besides- to the best of my knowledge it isn't professionally translated,
except for the movie. Oh, well.
Chronological Notes (kept separate for those people who NEVER read author's
notes):
This is anime-based, and set after the TV Series, OAVs, and the first
Movie. Shin KOR never happens in this universe, and is in fact
incompatible with it as certain concepts of this fanfic are contradicted in
that series...
On with the story...
-------------------------
Chapter 1
Madoka Ayukawa smiled to herself as she washed the dishes for the ABCB.
The previous night had been incredible- even enough to make all the pain
that they went through with Hikaru worth it. Perhaps. No, definitely...
though it was sad that the problems with Hikaru had to happen. In the end,
though, Kyousuke was too valuable of a four leaf clover for her to hand him
off to Hikaru, however much she cried.
Madoka continued scrubbing the dishes and sighed. 'There you go, making
yourself all melancholy again. And after such a good time last night,
too.' Then again, that might have been WHY she let those happy feelings
get away from her- because feeling good about last night made her feel
guilty about what she'd taken away from her one-time best friend.
It was something she'd have to think about. Would she ever be able to
forgive herself for hurting Hikaru? It felt so... selfish... to want
Kyousuke for herself, but she'd given up so much of her life for so many
other people that couldn't she be allowed to be selfish about one of the
only things that was truly important to her? And besides, in the end,
hadn't KYOUSUKE been the one to make the decision?
Perhaps that was the best way to think about it. Kyousuke had always
seemingly preferred her, even when he closest to Hikaru. He accepted
Hikaru's attentions, but craved her own. So Kyousuke was happier this way.
She was happier this way- when she wasn't feeling guilty about it all.
Perhaps even Hikaru would be, in the long run, happier- if Kyousuke had
chosen Hikaru over Madoka, he would have started out always knowing that,
at one time, there was someone who he loved more, and eventually that would
have torn the two of them apart, making Hikaru feel just as bad. Maybe.
Maybe not.
As these thoughts churned through her head, she tried to grasp the last
cup. It was out of reach, but as her hand went towards it the cup itself
lifted and flew towards her. Madoka didn't even realize it until she held
the cup in her hand. When she did, she gasped.
'How did that happen?' she thought to herself. She'd learned of Kyousuke's
Esper powers some time ago, and so the actual movement wasn't what
surprised her. What surprised her was that niether Kyousuke nor any of his
family were present- nor was anyone else, as it was after hours and the
Master was taking a day off. So how in the world did that happen?
* * * * *
A little more than an hour later, a knocking on the door of the ABCB let
Madoka know that Kasuga had arrived to walk her home. She still hadn't
finished the dishes- she'd gotten lost in thought about what had happened,
trying to convince herself that it had just been her imagination and
failing- so she had to ask him to wait.
"I'm not quite done yet... want anything while I finish up?" she asked, a
little nervously.
Kasuga glanced to see what would be easily available. "I'll help myself to
an iced coffee," he said, walking around the counter and grabbing a can
from the refridgerator. The ABCB usually made its own iced coffee, but it
had a small number of cans for orders 'to go.'
Ayukawa finished the dishes and drained the water from the sink. "Okay,
done. Um... Kyousuke, can I come over to your place tonight? There are
some things I want to talk with you about."
Kasuga nearly dropped his can of coffee- thankfully, it was still unopened,
and so nothing spilled. "Um, uh, of course, if you want to."
Madoka smiled nervously. "Thanks- I'll go change and then we'll be on our
way." As she headed over to the locker room, she paused. "By the way, is
the rest of your family home?"
Kyousuke's nervousness doubled. "Um, uh, well... I think they will be,
yeah. Is that going to be a problem?" he squeaked.
Madoka chuckled slightly. "Stop thinking so dirty, Kyousuke! Like I said,
I just want to talk. It might be a good thing your family is there, in
fact- they might be able to help." With that, she disappeared into the
changing room, leaving Kasuga to wonder what she might want help with.
She emerged a few minutes later in a thin blouse and tight jeans.
Kyousuke, unable to help himself, glanced her up and down, checking out how
the simple outfit showed off her exquisite curves. Madoka noticed, but
didn't say anything. She'd allow him to have a few dirty thoughts every
now and then- as long as they were of her, and they didn't get either of
them into too much trouble.
"Um, ready to go?" Kyousuke asked.
Madoka smiled and nodded. "Let's get moving." Once everything was locked
up and they were out of the shop, she offered him her hand, which he took
gently, and they started walking in the direction of his house.
A comfortable silence held for a couple of blocks before Ayukawa decided to
open up a conversation, and perhaps get a little head start on the
questions she wanted to ask him and his family. "Kyousuke, there's
something I've been wondering since I've found out about your... family
secret."
Kasuga glanced around. It was night-time, so it was dark, but he could
tell that there wasn't anyone around close enough to hear them. "Yeah?
What is it?"
"What does it feel like? To use it, I mean?"
Kyousuke thought about how to answer that for a moment. "Well, it depends
entirely on what I'm using it for, and how much energy I have at the time.
If I've just eaten gotten an energy boost- usually from sleep, food, or
adreneline- I just don't notice anything at all if I'm doing something
simple like, say, levitating this can of coffee," he noted, finishing the
can of coffee and, with his power, letting it float an inch off his hand
for a few seconds before mentally tossing it into a nearby trashcan.
"Heh... if I'm mad enough, or desperate enough, I can do some pretty
remarkable things and not even realize I'm doing them until after I'm done.
It does tire me out, though."
Madoka nodded. "Do you ever use it unintentionally? For instance, have
you ever, say, been reaching for a cup of coffee and it flew to your hand
without you trying to call for it?"
Kyousuke nodded. "It can happen, especially when you're young and not used
to the Power. We are taught to not misuse it, though, from a very young
age, and part of that teaching is to not use it when you don't want to.
Sometimes, though, even someone who's as old as I am can use the Power by
accident- like when I make a timeslip." He paused. "It's not always a bad
thing, though."
Ayukawa smiled, remembering her own experiences following Kyousuke through
a timeslip, and finding out that he WAS her first love, after all. That
was a very happy memory- well, several of them, actually.
"So why the sudden interest, anyway?" he asked unexpectedly.
Madoka frowned slightly, brought back to the present. "That's why I wanted
to come over to your place to discuss. Let's wait until we get there
before I answer your question, okay?"
Kasuga looked puzzled. "Uh, okay."
They continued walking in silence, but this time it was somewhat less
comfortable. Kyousuke didn't know what was going on, and Ayukawa was
worried about what the cause of her own puzzlement might be. Certain fears
gripped her, and she tightened her hold on Kasuga's hand. He, increasingly
worried himself at her growing anxiety, tightened his hold as well.
By the time they reached the door, they both were bordering on nervous
wrecks. Madoka, however, straightened herself up, released Kasuga's hand,
regained her composure, and looked over at him with determination. "Well,
are you going to open the door, or not?"
Kyousuke blinked, and the scrambled to grab his keys out of his pocket and
opened the door for her. He didn't know what was going on, but he could
tell that when he found out, it wasn't going to be very good.
"Kyousuke! You're home earlier than we expected- oh, Madoka! Hello,
welcome to our humble home," Manami said. Thankfully, there were no flying
cats or pieces of furniture that needed to be avoided, and Kyousuke and
Madoka were able to enter safely.
Kurumi, grooming Jingoro (much to the cat's displeasure), waved at them
happily. "Hello, Kyousuke. Hello, Madoka," she said in a sing-song voice.
"Now just why did you bring her over here, brother, instead of taking her
to her house? I'd think you'd get a lot more privacy for the perverted
things you do over there."
"Kurumi!" Kyousuke fumed.
Kurumi giggled and stuck her tongue out at her brother before returning her
attention to Jingoro.
Kyousuke's father walked into the room, holding a portfolio case. "Oh,
Madoka! What are you doing here?"
Madoka glanced around at the Kasuga family before beginning. "Well... I
had a few questions I wanted to ask you and the whole family. Even
Kyousuke's grandfather, if possible."
Mr. Kasuga coughed. "Um, I'm afraid that he's involved in a clan function
at the moment, and so we can't call on him right now. But we'll gladly
help if we can."
Madoka sighed. Hopefully, they would know. "I hope you can. See,
something happened earlier today, and it kind of... well, maybe you might
be able to help."
Manami, seeing Madoka's difficulty in discussing this, pointed at the
loveseat. "Would you like to sit down?"
"Yes, thank you," she replied. Grasping Kyousuke's hand for reassurance,
she lead him to the offered seat. Mr. Kasuga, Manami, and Kurumi all
gathered around to hear what she had to say. "While I was working at the
ABCB today, washing dishes, something rather... disturbing... happened.
Well, maybe it was disturbing- I don't know. I guess it might have just
been my imagination that it happened at all, but..."
"Madoka," Mr. Kasuga interrupted in a soothing voice. "What happened?"
"Well... see, no-one else was around, and I was washing the dishes getting
ready to go home, but I still had an hour until Kyousuke was supposed to
show up. I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing, I was just doing
it... then I reached for a glass that was really too far away for me to
pick up, and it... it flew to my hand, in much the same way your Powers can
make things fly around the room. I... I don't know what caused it, either-
was it a poltergeist, or... or...."
Mr. Kasuga's eyes hardened. He turned to Kyousuge. "Son... you aren't a
virgin any more, are you?"
Kyousuke jumped up, letting go of Madoka's hand. "Wh- what does that have
to do with anything?!" he sputtered.
Madoka, on the other hand, collapsed with a haunted look in her eyes.
Kyousuke's father seemed to know right away what it was, and his question
apparently confirmed her suspicions. "It's true... I'm pregnant, aren't
I?"
Kurumi and Manami's eyes widened in shock. "Eehhhhhh!?" they chorused.
Kyousuke, at that pronouncement, wobbled on his legs and fell to his knees
in shock. "P-pregnant? But... how?"
Madoka glared at Kyousuke. "Well, I certainly hope you didn't forget last
night... or the night before... or last Sunday."
Kyousuke waved his arms in a panic. "No- of course I do. They were
unforgetable nights... but we were using protection, so how could you be
pregnant?"
Madoka shrugged. "I don't know, but, well, I'm guessing from your father's
question that my seeming to have the power is the result of you getting me
pregnant- right?"
Mr. Kasuga paused. He and Kyousuke's sisters were a little shocked by the
couple's frank discussion. "Um, well... not necessarily."
Kyousuke finally recovered enough to stand up. Swallowing, he asked,
"What, exactly, does 'not necessarily' mean?"
"Well," Mr. Kasuga said. "It doesn't mean that she's NOT pregnant, but...
what I was thinking was that Madoka absorbed some of your excess Power,
Kyousuke. And the only way she could do that would be if you were engaging
in, ahem, certain activities I don't believe you two should have been doing
until you were married."
Madoka blushed faintly as she realized what they'd just admitted to.
Kyousuke was more or less in shock, but he still had the wherewithal to
question his fathers words. "She absorbed some of my Power? But I don't
feel like I lost any of it...."
"You didn't. Like I said, she absorbed some of your EXCESS Power. When
you and she were... intimate, your power almost certainly grew greater than
your body could contain on its own, and so it sought an additional host-
Madoka." Mr. Kasuga coughed. "It happened between me and your mother
quite a bit, actually."
All three of the Kasuga siblings was surprised by that one. "But you've
never used any of the Power!" Kurumi exclaimed.
Mr. Kasuga sighed. "I don't know if I've got any of it left, actually. I
wouldn't use it if I did, either, even in an emergency. The Power I got
from these... encounters... is limited. I could never tell how much of it
I had, or when it would run out...." He directed his attention to their
guest. "Madoka, don't worry about it affecting you badly. You have some
of Kyousuke's powers, but it's like a rechargible battery- when you're with
him intimately, you'll 'charge up,' but you'll find that it's very easy to
use that power up quickly."
"Mr. Kasuga," Ayukawa asked. "Why wouldn't you use your possible Powers
even in an emergency?"
Kyousuke's father sighed, bowing his head. "Well... as long as I still
have that small charge, I've still got a small part of her with me at all
times. I won't ever let it go, not even at death- it's really all I have
left of her that matters, except for the kids." Silence reigned for a
moment- this time, it was neither comforting nor disturbing, but instead
was just... heavy. Finally, Mr. Kasuga's head looked up, a wicked smile on
his face. "At any rate... it seems obvious that the two of you are now a
bit more than just friends, huh? When are you planning on getting
married?"
"Um..." Madoka and Kyousuke answered.
* * * * *
The ancestral meeting hall of the Kasuga clan was in flames. Standing
outside of the burning building stood a battered pair of grandparents.
"Did everyone get out safely?" the Grandfather said.
"I believe so. Most people left as soon as He showed up, and the rest of
them escaped when the flames appeared," his wife answered.
"Where's Kazuya?" he asked.
"His parents took him away to hide. He's powerful for his age, but he's
too young and inexperienced to face someone like... Him."
"Good," the Grandfather said. "If they can stay in hiding until this is
all over, all the better. But the people who weren't here should be told
of these happenings. Find Akane- send her to let Kyousuke and his sisters
know what's going on. Together, the four of them should be able to keep
safe."
"Are you sure?" the Grandmother asked. "Most of the clan was gathered
here, and yet even together we weren't able to deal with Him."
"No, I'm not sure. I thought I was sure that we could handle Him this
time, but... well, you can see that I was wrong. We'll just have to hope,
though, that with their youth, their intelligence, and their friends they
can at least survive."
"If not-"
"If not them, then who? They are the strongest of those of us not in the
village... and WE, obviously, could not handle Him. They are our best
hope." He paused. "Considering what happened to us, they are our only
hope."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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