[Lights come up on the living room.  Yuu is sitting on the sofa,
sketching something on a large pad of paper; nobody else is present.
As he catches sight of the camera, he sets the pad and pencil aside
and calls out toward the door stage left.]

Yuu:  It's time...

Scott:  (OS) Sorry, it'll just take a second to notify the
replacement.  I didn't expect to see a KOR fic.  Why don't you run the
title sequence while we're waiting?

Yuu:  What title sequence?  It's just a preliminary sketch right now.

Scott:  (OS) Well, either way, it's going to take a little while, so
you might as well do it.

[Yuu shrugs and holds up the pad, horizontally.  The paper shows some
hints of a geometric design, too light to be made out; it also bears a
few words, in large, block-type print.]

	THE PEOPLE NOT APPEARING IN THIS FANFIC PRESENT
	  AN MST OF RICHARD BEAUBIEN'S "THE HIGH NOTE"

Scott:  (walking out of the room) Well, that's very... uh...
minimalistic.

Yuu:  It was your idea.

Scott:  Tell you what, let's skip the title sequence.  Maybe we can
get Madoka to write us a theme song, or something.

[There is a knock on the door from the direction of the camera.  There
follow the sound of a door opening and the appearance of a teenage
girl with short black hair, wearing a yellow gi.]

Scott:  (to camera) Our old partner, Akane Tendou.  (to Akane) Glad
you could join us on such short notice.

Yuu:  One of the many benefits of self-insertion C&C.

Scott:  Oh, be quiet and run the fic.

[Yuu obligingly picks up the remote and presses 'play.'  Scott and
Akane join him on the couch.]

[Spoiler Warning: This fic uses events and settings that take place after
the end of the TV series and movies. If you haven't seen all KOR yet and
are planning on watching it then you might not want to read this story as
it may spoil the final episodes/movies for you. 
 
You have been warned, so I want no flames coming at me if you do get
spoiled....:]

Yuu:  Logical contradiction.

Scott:  How's that?

Yuu:  Because, you'd have to be pretty spoiled to flame the author
after he warned you like that.

Akane:  (facepalms) Now I remember why I didn't miss reviewing...

Scott:  It gets worse.  We haven't even started the actual fic yet.

*****
 
It was around 1 PM on a warm spring Sunday afternoon and Ayukawa Madoka was
once again climbing her favorite tree. It was a regular occurrence to see
her climbing seem climbing

Yuu:  She wasn't actually climbing, but she sure *seemed* climbing.

the tree on Sunday, a ritual that the young
girl had started almost a month ago.
 
The tree itself was nothing special, a plain old Oak tree of moderate
height and only having a few branches and leaves.

Akane:  That might make it difficult to climb.

Scott:  (chuckles) Even her favorite *trees* are average types.
Sheesh.

The district certainly
had more majestic tree's for young people to climb and explore, providing
breathtaking views of the city and it's inhabitants.

Scott:  Ataru Moroboshi took particular note of those.

Akane:  Hentai...

But Madoka didn't
climb this tree because it was special or because it offered a postcard
view.

All:  (chorus) Why did she climb it?

She climbed the tree because it looked into the backyard of a house,
a plain looking old house. A yard that was only visible from the tree
because of the gate which surrounded it.

Yuu:  All right, tree, put your branches up!  We've got you
surrounded!  Don't try and leaf!

Scott:  Oi.  What is it, a Bill Gate?

Akane:  Not unless that's a binary tree.

Yuu:  Jokes aside, he might want to make it more clear that the "it"
refers to the yard.  And a gate can't really surround anything... a
wall, maybe.  "A yard that, because of the wall that surrounded it,
was only visible from the tree," perhaps?

Madoka took a deep breath as she finished her climb, finding her seat to
from which she could look at the yard in full view.

Akane:  The author ought to look at that sentence in full view.

The yard itself
contained a small garden and small selection of tree's cut in the
traditional Banzai art.

Yuu:  Bonsai.

Scott:  Unless they're just very enthusiastic gardeners. ^_^

Akane:  And "small" doesn't have to be repeated, and "trees" should be
plural, not possessive.  No apostrophe.

In the corner of the yard resting next to the gate
was a small bench which overlooked a patch of lily flowers.

Yuu:  (holds out a box) Have some commas.  There's no shortage, or
anything.

A big small
came over Madoka's face

Akane:  (Madoka) Help!  I'm being suffocated by a jumbo shrimp!

Scott:  (shakes head) What an oxymoron...

Akane:  HEY!

as she saw the bench was occupied by an old man
with a saxaphone, a saxaphone which he slowly placed to his lips and
started to play.

Yuu:  Hmm.  I wonder if that sounds anything like a saxophone.

The notes rose towards Madoka's makeshift concert seat, the rythmn causing
her foot to tap.

Akane:  ...Right up to the minute she overbalanced and fell out of the
tree.  She landed on her head and broke her neck, dying instantly.
The end.

[Yuu and Scott look at each other and bigsweat.]

It was a mixture of mix band music with a hint of blues
thrown in though she really didn't care what the music was made off.

Scott:  It's people!  Saxaphone green is made of PEOPLE!

For
it reminded her of him, the person who had came to save her a month ago.

Scott:  Madoka is a born-again Christian?

Yuu:  Different person.

The person that had stood up for her and had even given her a gift. She
wanted to do more to repay him for that gift, but she could only give him
one thing. Something from the heart. 

Akane:  A transfusion.

Yuu:  Hmm...

"Ahem!"
 
"Eh!?" Madoka exclaimed as she was shaken from her train of thought.

Scott:  It derailed, killing everyone else aboard.

Yuu:  I suppose she should have engineer-ed a better outcome, ne?

Akane:  (closes her eyes) You guys...  (mutters) I don't believe this.

"Can I help you Young Lady?"
 
"Well....Not really."
 
"Oh...Then you've been hanging from my tree the last few Sunday's for no
reason then, eh?"

Yuu:  (Madoka) Oh, no.  I was just casing your house.  Gomen.

Akane:  "Hanging from my tree..."  Sounds like she's committing
suicide, or something.

the man asked in a chuckle as he lit a cigarette.

Akane:  The chuckle politely accepted and came in.

"Um...Ah," Madoka stuttered before composing herself

Scott:  (nods sagely) Madoka is a pretty fair composer.

and quickly replaying

Yuu:  And now for an instant replay of that composition!

Akane:  Wouldn't that be an 'encore'?

with "I'm not hanging for your information Ji-san. I'm sitting."

Scott:  (old man) Well, you can't kill yourself that way!  Kids these
days...

The man puffed on his cigarette before he replied in a slight giggle,
"Well that you are Young Lady,

Akane:  (Madoka) Actually, I am Madoka Ayukawa.

Yuu:  (old man) Oh.  In that case, it's not well.

but you still have explained why your
sitting there."

Scott:  (Madoka) I have?  I must've missed it.

Akane:  (Madoka) Right, it's a still life.  Get it?

Yuu:  (Madoka) And leave my sitting out of this.  It's a perfectly
innocent sitting.

Scott:  He just meant "you're."

Yuu:  I know, but it struck me as a funny image.

"Well Ji-san, I happen to..I happen to..likeyourmusic," Madoka mumbled
at once in a soft voice. 

Akane:  No, she didn't, she mumbled, "Well Ji-san, I happen to..I
happen to..likeyourmusic" in a soft voice.

Scott:  That was pretty weak.

Akane:  And how is that different from usual?

Yuu:  Point, Akane.

"Nani? Could you repeat that again please?"

Scott:  "That again please."

"I said I liked your music, and I climbed your tree to see who was playing
it."
 
A look of wonder crossed the old man's face as he took another puff of
smoke. "Really, you like my music? And here I thought I wasn't that
good."

Yuu:  (Madoka) You're not, I'm just being polite.

"No, your music is really great," Madoka beamed as her face broke out into
a friendly smile,

Akane:  I think there's some kind of cream you can get to cure that...

"It has a nice beat and a strength to it. A strength
that reminds me of someone..." Madoka trailed off as she finished the
sentence. 

[The three look at each other.]

All:  BWAHahahahahahahahaha...

"Oh, so you think it has a strength to it?"
 
"Hai Ji-san!!! It's rythmn has a lot of hidden strength to it"

Yuu:  And its rhythm isn't bad, either.

"Well I don't know about rythmn and stuff like that. I just play the
music," the man sighed as he extinguished the cigarette on the ground. A
slight frown crossed over his face

Scott:  Why did the frown cross the face?

Akane:  (wary) Why?

Yuu:  (shrugs) Maybe he was trying for a cross frown and got it
backwards.

before he started to speak again, "I
play the music to remind me of someone too. And I guess she did have a
strength about her," the man chuckled as his frown gave way to a
reminiscing smile.

Scott:  (old man) Used to hit me with those stupid hammers all the
time... yeah, definitely, strength.

Akane:  ...

"I'm amazed that you where able to feel that from the
music Young lady."
 
A blush crossed over Madoka's face before she started to replay in a
humble voice

Yuu:  And for those of you who are just joining the fic, here's an
instant replay of that last blush...

"Well it's just a feeling I got, I get a lot of feelings from
music that I listen too."

Scott:  Hmm.

Akane:  (mallets Scott) Hentai.

Scott:  (from the new crater in the floor) I didn't even... ow... say
anything...

Akane:  But you thought it.

Yuu:  I was wondering how much longer it would take.

"Oh really, it sounds like you have a gift,. Have you ever tried to play
an instrument before Young lady."

Yuu:  (Madoka) Nope.  I don't even know this "Young" guy.  And stop
calling me "lady."

The smile on Madoka's face quickly turned to a clearly visible
frown.

Akane:  (applauds) Do it again!

Yuu:  For its next trick, Madoka's smile will pull a rabbit out of
this empty hat...

"Not really. My parents wanted me to take some violin lessons once,
but I don't like the violin."

Scott:  I can't remember for sure, but I thought she played the violin
at some point in the manga.

Akane:  She plays a lot of instruments.  Saxophone, piano, guitar,
clarinet...

Yuu:  Maybe she changed her mind about the violin later.

"Well you seem to like the saxaphone."
 
"I just like the music it plays, it's music is better than a violin. It's
more comforting..."

A hearty laugh came from the old man as he lit another cigarette and
placed it into his mouth. "If you say so, Young lady, if you say so." The
smile stayed on his face as a wisp of smoke reached his eyes. "Well
then, would you like to try the Saxaphone out Young Lady?"

Scott:  You know, that does explain a lot, doesn't it?

"Really?"

Yuu:  (old man) No, just kidding.  Go home.

Scott:  (fast-forwarding) I'm skipping most of the rest, although it's
well-written, because there's a thing or two at the end that pretty
much torpedoes the entire fic, and I'm too impatient to wait to get to
it.

Akane:  That, and you couldn't come up with many horrible puns for
that section.

Scott:  ...well, yeah, that too.

*****

Ayukawa groaned as the sunlight slowly filled her eyes. Slowly she rose
from the bed to see that it was empty except for her. A loud yawn came
from her as she started to stretch, and think about the dream she had last
night. A dream which she had seen 3 times over the last month, a dream
about one of the more important times in her life. When she first became
interested in the saxaphone, and more importantly in music. 

Yuu:  Technically, she was interested in music before the saxophone,
because she heard it before she saw it.

Scott:  "Music in general," then.

"Madoka, can you get me a towel please?" 

Akane:  Ah.  So it -is- set after Shin KOR.

"Hai!! Hang on a second," Madoka responded as she picked up a bath towel.
Certainly there was nothing strange about her starting to play music, she
did come from a family full of musicians. But something else was bothering
her, something about the timing of when she started to play the saxaphone. 

Yuu:  The timing is always the problem, isn't it?

"Arigato Madoka," Kasuga replied as he took the towel from Ayukawa's

Akane:  All through the fic, she's referred to as "Madoka" until this
section, where she becomes "Ayukawa" again.  That feels disjointed.

Yuu:  (nods) And if you're referring to Madoka by her first name in
the narration, you should probably refer to Kyousuke by his.

hands. He started to close the bathroom door when he noticed that Ayukawa
was looking at him with a curious gaze. "Madoka, are you all right?"
 
"I'm fine," Ayukawa replied as her mind slowly realized what had happened
in the past.

Scott:  This is where I had the problem.  One of the most important
things about the series is that Madoka -knew-.  She might not have
recognized Kyousuke straight away, but she remembered pretty early on.
He even told her when she was sent back in time, and she pretty much
told him then that she knew.  So this part is a little inconsistent...

It was him, it had to be him. And with that her face became a
full smile

Akane:  Her -face- became a smile?

Scott:  It's very talented, what can I say?

Yuu:  It's along the lines of those characters who could fit their
entire heads into their mouths when they open them.

as she placed a kiss on Kasuga's check "Arigato Kyousuke,
Arigato."
 
*Fin

[Yuu fast-forwards the notes.]

Anyway, comments are always welcome....

Scott:  I think I covered everything.  Oh, write more KOR.  More KOR
fics would be good.

Akane:  (nods) And we guarantee a review of KOR fics.

Scott:  Or Marmalade Boy, Maison Ikkoku, or Devil Hunter Yohko fics,
for that matter.  And crossovers, too, as long as they play a major
role.

Yuu:  I think that's it, then.  (waves to camera) Thanks.

[Yuu presses a button on the remote.  All goes dark.]


Scott Schimmel                http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~schimmel/
Ex ignorantia ad sapientium;  "You really aren't normal, are you?"
ex luce ad tenebras.              -- Miki Koishikawa