Birthdays.
They are known as the single most important day in a person's life.
They always celebrate the person's life with a big party, complete with tons of guests, a huge cake, and of course, tons of presents, usually always what that person has been wishing for all that year.
They are always a happy occasion, and sometimes one wonders what life would be like without birthdays. Unfortunately, someone from the realm of dark magic is about to force this question onto some of our friends.
The date is May 6th, 2007, the birthday of one of our favorite Ojamajos. As Momoko rapidly approaches her sweet sixteen, she is growing eager with anticipation. She doesn't really expect any presents; just to be able to spend her special time with the best friends she's ever had.
However, someone is planning to throw a literal wrench into Momoko's birthday plans...
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In the realm of dark magic, the hooded girl and the shadow creature can be seen talking again.
"Is the spell in place, my dear girl?"
"Yes, I have cast my spell on the city of Misora. When it takes effect in a few minutes, no one in the whole city will even remember the American's birthday."
"Just out of curiosity, my dark warrior, why have you chosen to make everyone forget about this one particular witch's anniversary?"
The hooded girl smirked, though we can't see it under her hood.
"Simple, master. Out of the magical auras I sensed when I came into contact with them, the American girl's aura was literally off the scale. I figured that this kind of power would be perfect for our cause. So, since her birthday is coming up, I would make her closest friends forget that her birthday even existed. This way, she would believe that her friends have turned on her and she would leave the group. When we find her, we would convince her to join our cause."
"That is so evil. I love it!"
"I had a feeling you would. I believe the time is right to cast our magic."
With that, the hooded girl raised her dual weapons into the air.
"Yumemiru yukata tokimeki kudasai! Activate the spell of forgetfulness!"
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Back in Misora, Nick can be seen walking down the street towards Onpu's house. Everyone had returned to their old Misora homes for a couple days (Fami and Hana-chan had returned to the Majokai), since things had quieted down in the evil dark magic department. It was quite obvious that they couldn't go back to their original homes, what with their parents having attacked them and all.
Nick was whistling a tune while carrying a package wrapped in gold and yellow behind his back. He had gotten something really special for his girlfriend this year, and he wanted to show the others.
After a couple more minutes of walking, he reached the door to the Segawa residence. Knocking twice on Onpu's door, he waited for a few seconds.
When Onpu came to the door, Nick showcased his little present. "Hey, Onpu-chan! I got this for Momoko, and I wanted to show it to you before I stopped by her house."
Onpu had a confused look on her face.
"Who?"
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(Promises never fade as easily as memories.)
S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:
Ojamajo Doremi Diamond and Pearl
This Chapter: July 8th, 2007
Summary: In my vision of a fifth season, when Nick's parents attack him completely out of the blue, he escapes with Momoko to an unexplored sector of the Majo-kai. By twist of fate, this rebellious act inexplicably brings the Ojamajos together once again. Now, equipped with new gear and brand new powers, they must solve the mystery of why Nick's parents attacked him. Along the way, they uncover a sinister plot against Hana-chan and the entire Majo-kai by a jaded face from Nick's past...
Today's Episode: A dark magic spell that has been cast on the city of Misora has caused everyone but Nick to forget Momoko's birthday, ultimately erasing Momoko from their memories. It's up to Nick alone to find the source of this disturbance and break the spell before a guilt-wracked Momoko does something drastic...
Note: The MAHO-dou is going to be a bakery just for this episode. Also, there's some new vocal songs starting in this episode:
"Sweet Song ABC Diamond and Pearl Mix" by MAHO-dou (Insert Song)
"Dearest" by Ayumi Hamasaki (Second Ending)
Disclaimer: I do not own Ojamajo Doremi, its sequels, or any of its adaptations or licenses, with the exception of any fan-created characters, namely Nick. Ojamajo Doremi belongs to Toei Animation and anyone else who licenses it in their country. (I'm not saying 4Kids anymore because I just found out Toei pulled the licensing rights from them.)
Warning: There's a bit of a serious situation in this chapter. I won't say what, but you should get the gist of what that means if you read this episode's summary. Just a warning for the unprepared.
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Chapter 4: Birthday Blues (Diamond Perspective: Nick's P.O.V.)
That word that came from Onpu's mouth surprised me. "What do you mean 'who', Onpu-chan? We've known Momoko since the 5th grade!"
"Sorry, Kellysi-chan, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone with that name," Onpu replied. This was getting out of hand!
"Come on, Onpu-chan, don't play dumb with me!" I exclaimed. "You know who Momoko is! She's got those ring-shaped buns in her blonde hair! How could you miss that?"
"Oh!" Onpu gasped. "Someone like that came by earlier. She asked me what we were doing for her birthday. When I told her that I didn't know who she was, she ran off crying. I hope I didn't upset the girl..."
Okay, something's way wrong here, I thought. How could Onpu just forget who Momoko was? Wait. If Onpu-chan forgot, what about the others? And why is it that they only forgot Momoko?
"I'll be right back, Onpu-chan," I replied. "I'm going to go check on the others."
With that, I rushed off.
It was the same all around Misora. Every time I checked in with one of the other Ojamajos, they had absolutely forgotten my girlfriend, but that was the only thing they'd forgotten. They still remembered everything we've been through, new powers and everything, but apparently Momoko had been completely erased from their memories. But why haven't I forgotten?
Then, it hit me; I'd made a promise to Momoko that I'd always be with her. And I know unlike memories, promises don't fade no matter how hard someone tries to make them.
"This can't be natural. I know sometimes we forget things, but there's no way someone can forget one specific piece of information but still remember everything else," I wondered. "I'll just bet that there's dark magic behind this. Someone's trying to turn Momoko against us!"
My mind made up, I rushed towards the center of the suburbs, and just as I expected, the hooded girl from before was standing there.
"I figured you'd be the one behind this!" I shouted, pulling out my Diamond and Pearl Tap. "Kellysi-kun! Diamond and Pearl Henshin!!"
Once those words had left my mouth, I had changed into my Ojamajo clothes.
"Tansei kisai Kellysi-chi!"
"Oh, please, buddy. You really think transforming is going to help?" the hooded girl replied, raising her dual weapons.
"It will when I beat your butt into the ground!" I shouted, brandishing my Shining Poron.
"Oh, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Nick, but I'm afraid it's not me you're going to be fighting today," she responded. "I've got a 'little' buddy with me." She motioned behind her, where a massive, tiger-like monster with absolutely no skin was standing, radiating the very essence of dark magic. "If you can beat the Living Bone, then the curse I placed should be broken. If I were you, though, I'd take care of the matter as fast as you can before your little girlfriend before she does something... drastic in her depression."
"What are you talking..." Then, it hit me. "She wouldn't!"
"She would if she believes her best friends have betrayed her," she responded. Before any of us could respond, the Living Bone charged for me. The hooded girl retreated to a safe distance so she could watch our brawl.
The Living Bone tried to take a bite out of me with its skeletal teeth, but I quickly dodged around and laid a few combos into its side, causing it to fall to the ground in agony. Looks like I found its weak spot...
I charged my Shining Poron with my elemental powers, hoping to finish this with one strike. However, the Living Bone had apparently expected me to attack when it was down, and swung its mighty tail, knocking me off balance.
I recovered quickly and dashed forward, grabbing its tail before it could strike again. Utilizing my martial arts training, I flipped the Living Bone over, sending it into a crashing tailspin.
The instant the Living Bone recovered, it charged at me, teeth bared. I did the same, Shining Poron raised. Both of our weapons ripped forward as fast as a lightning strike. When the area was clear, I could see that my Shining Poron was lodged in the Living Bone's teeth, and it was trying to push me back. I struggled against the massive monster's pressure with all my might, but it seemed to be too strong for me.
"Ready to give up?" the hooded girl asked with a sneer.
"Never..." I shot back, my confidence returning. I slowly began pushing back against the Living Bone's grip. "Until my dying breath, I will never give up OR abandon my friends!"
As I said that, a beautiful snow-white energy aura arced up around me, causing the hooded girl to gasp in shock.
"No way! That's impossible! The only people I've ever seen with THAT kind of aura are..."
I smirked. The advantage was mine once again. I swung upwards, knocking the Living Bone backwards, its feet dragging and creating deep trenches in the ground.
"That's impossible!" the hooded girl shouted. "There's no way in hell that YOU can be a Purifier!"
"It looks like I am," I responded matter-of-factly. Turning my attention to the Living Bone once again, I ripped forward, and with one mighty slash, I was behind the monster. The attack I'd delivered caused the Living Bone to fall to pieces.
I turned towards the hooded girl. "You want to be next?"
She stepped back, quivering a bit. "This isn't over, Purifier!"
And with that, she disappeared in a swirl of darkness. The energy surrounding me disappeared into my Shining Poron.
With that, the remains of the Living Bone evaporated into mere particles, but I had no time to celebrate my victory. I had to stop Momoko before she did something drastic. I immediately broke into a sprint, racing towards Momoko's house.
"Momoko! If you haven't done it yet, DON'T DO IT!!"
Chapter 4: Birthday Blues (Pearl Perspective: Momoko's P.O.V.)
I had never felt so betrayed in my entire life. My own best friends forgetting who I am... that's the ultimate blow, if you ask me...
I had just grabbed a knife from my kitchen. If they wanted to forget me, then I may as well just end it right now...
No longer caring about what happened, I held the knife towards my heart, ready to end it with one strike. I closed my eyes, tears flowing from them.
"Nick... gomenasai..."
My mind made up, I thrust the knife towards my heart, but just then...
"Yamete! WAIT!!"
I stopped and looked towards the nearby doorway, the knife only an inch away from my heart. Nick was standing there, looking as if he'd just run a whole ten miles.
"Nick... please don't try to stop me. You probably don't remember me either..." I stated, the tears coming faster than ever now.
"Momoko, don't say things like that!" Nick exclaimed. "I'd never want to forget you!!"
I stopped as those words registered in my mind. He really does care about me...
"Momoko, you have to understand. Promises don't fade as easily as memories," Nick explained, walking over and letting his arms rest around me. "Even if the whole world turned its back on you... I would always be there for you."
That settled it. I let the knife drop to the floor and returned Nick's embrace. "Oh, Nick... that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me..."
"I mean every word of it," Nick replied. "I want you to come to the MAHO-dou tonight at 7. I've got a surprise for you."
"Okay."
6:40 PM that night...
With about 20 minutes left before I was scheduled to arrive, Nick had gathered all the Ojamajos at the MAHO-dou with the exception of Fami and Hana-chan, who'd opted to stay in the Majokai while they sorted the problems out.
"Okay, girls, we've only got twenty minutes until Momoko gets here," Nick explained to the others, "so we're going to have to work fast. Hazuki, Aiko, Poppu, you girls tend to the decorations. Doremi, Onpu, you and I are going to take care of the birthday cake."
"What about your present, Kellysi-chan?" Doremi asked.
"I've already got that covered. Let's get to work!" Nick shouted, and everyone clapped their hands, the Diamond and Pearl Taps glowing brightly. In a flash, they were all in their confectioner outfits, which surprisingly fit quite well even after all this time.
(Nick) "It's time for Sweet Song! Are you ready to make something delicious?"
"A!" (Doremi) Amaai APPLE PIE
"B!" (Hazuki) Bikkuri BISCUIT
"C!" (Aiko) Shittori CHOU LE CRÉME
"D!" (Onpu) Dokkiri DOUGHNUTS! (Nick) "Chocolate, please!"
"E!" (Momoko and Nick) Ehhen ÉCLAIR
Poppu was blowing up brightly-colored balloons, all yellow and green. And she was working fast!
"Wow, Poppu-chan, how can you do that so fast?" Aiko asked while trying to unravel the streamers from their package.
"Exercises in gym class," was Poppu's simple reply.
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Doremi) (Sore!)
Oishii oishii okashi no PARADE
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Doremi) (Hai!)
Utaeba omeme ga KIRAKIRA
Kyou no oyatsu wa naanikana?
Doremi carefully cracked a couple eggs, letting the yolks fall perfectly into the bowl as Onpu began stirring them around with the cake mix. Nick added a touch of his own, using the Pastry Poron to sprinkle magic powder onto the mixture, blending it with a unique flavor.
"I'm surprised that Majorika still kept all of our old confectioners' stuff," Doremi replied while stirring the egg yolks and butter.
"F!" (Doremi) Furesshu FRUITS PARFAIT
"G!" (Hazuki) Jiman no GINGER COOKIE
"H!" (Aiko) Honwaka HOT CAKE
"I!" (Onpu) Ai rabu ICE CREAM (Nick) "I bet you do."
"J!" (Momoko and Nick) Jarajara JELLYBEANS
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Hazuki) (Sore!)
Oishii oishii okashi no PARADE
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Hazuki) (Hai!)
Utaeba onaka ga GYURURURU
Kinou no oyatsu wa nadakke?
As Poppu tied the balloons to strings and let them rise towards the ceiling, Hazuki was using a collection of magic markers to write the message "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMOKO!" in bright letters. Aiko was using another magic marker to add her own touches, drawing little pictures of things Momoko liked onto the banner, such as basketballs and guitars.
"K!" (Doremi) Kiinto KAKIGOORI
"L!" (Hazuki) Rettsu goo LEMON PIE
"M!" (Aiko) Mokkori MONT BLANC
"N!" (Onpu) Nanikana NATA DE KOKO (Nick) "That looks good!"
"O!" (Momoko and Nick) Ookina OSENBEI
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Aiko) (Sore!)
Oishii oishii okashi no PARADE
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Aiko) (Hai!)
Utaeba ohana ga PIKUPIKU
Kyou no oyatsu wa nanitsuru go?
"We need more than just a cake!" Onpu noted. "There's other things that Momo-chan likes, too!"
"I've got that covered," Nick noted, raising his wand into the air. "Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore! Bring out the foods that Momoko likes!"
Reacting to Nick's command, all kinds of confections appeared on the nearby table. Onpu noticed that a lot of these confections smelled like sweet strawberries.
"P!" (Doremi) Pururun PUDDING
"Q!" (Hazuki) Kyuuto na QUINCE JAM
"R!" (Aiko) Runrun RARE CHEESE
"S!" (Onpu) Saikoo SHORTCAKE (Nick) "My favorite!"
"T!" (Momoko and Nick) Tappuri TAIYAKI
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Onpu) (Sore!)
Oishii oishii okashi no PARADE
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Onpu) (Hai!)
Utaeba okuchi ga MUZUMUZU
Ashita no oyatsu mo ima tabetai!
Oh, I love Sweet Song
Oh, you love Sweet Song too (Nick) "Don't we all?"
Oh, I love Sweet Song, oh, you love Sweet Song
Let's sing Sweet Song together
"Guys! We have to speed up the cake! Momoko's going to be here in five minutes!" Doremi exclaimed.
"I guess it's time for a Magical Stage, girls!" Nick responded as everyone gathered in a circle and held their wands into the air.
"Pirika pirilala nobiyakani!"
"Paipai ponpoi shinayakani!"
"Pameruku laruku takarakani!"
"Pururun purun suzuyakani!"
"Pipito purito pokarakani!"
"Asobu soba de tokuyakani!"
Swirls of energy surrounded the group as they performed Magical Stage. "Help us finish this cake for Momoko!"
In an instant, beautiful jewels seemed to spin around the group as their Magical Stage spell took effect, bringing the now-finished cake to a rest behind all the other confections. The banner that Hazuki and Aiko had been working on was now hanging from the skylight of the MAHO-dou.
"Is everything ready?" Poppu asked.
"Yes," Nick replied. "We've created the perfect birthday party. And just in time, too; Momoko should be here any second!"
Everyone hid in their planned spots, just waiting for my appearance.
"U!" (Doremi) Uttori UJIKINTOKI
"V!" (Hazuki) Beri guu VANILLA SHAKE
"W!" (Aiko) Wakuwaku WAFFLES
"X!" (Onpu) Kusu kusu MIX JUICE (Nick) "Nice improv!"
"Y!" (Momoko and Nick Yororei YOGURT
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Momoko) (Sore!)
Oishii oishii okashi no PARADE
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Momoko) (Hai!)
Utaeba yodare ga JURURURU
Kyou no oyatsu wa maadaka na?
"Z!" Zenbu zenbu SUKISUKI DAISUKI!
Okashi na okashi na okashi na
Okashi no suiito songu
It was about a minute to 7 as I finally reached the door to the MAHO-dou. The instant I opened it, everyone jumped out, shouting "SURPRISE!!"
I took a look at everything Nick and the girls had done. There was a giant, triple-layer cake that said "Happy Sweet Sixteen, Momoko!" in bright yellow frosting. "You... you guys remembered after all?"
"Of course!" Hazuki explained. "We could never forget our friends!"
"You guys... that's sweet..." I stated, my eyes tearing up.
"Okay, guys, enough beating around the bush! Birthday bash at the MAHO-dou!" Nick shouted with a little too much enthusiasm. Thankfully, everyone agreed.
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Nick) (Sore!)
Oishii oishii okashi no PARADE
A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Nick) (Got it!)
Utaeba daredemo shiawase
Kyou no oyatsu wa naanikana?
"Ittadakimasu!" (Nick) "Let's eat!"
A couple hours later, everyone was wiped out after finishing off the cake (I still can't believe I had most of it), playing birthday games, and just gabbing the night away.
Around eleven, I noticed Doremi prodding Nick. What was he up to?
"Of course! I nearly forgot!" Nick exclaimed. He pulled out a package wrapped in yellow and gold. It looked really pretty.
"Momoko... this is for you," he said, handing me the package. I eagerly unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful jewelry box. Inside was a pair of diamond rings, one aquamarine and one opal. I took the opal ring, my hands shaking and my eyes misting up. "Nick... is this?"
"This is what's called a 'promise ring'," Nick explained to me. "It represents the promise two lovers like us have made to each other. As long as we both wear these, I'm sure we'll be together forever." Nick placed the aquamarine ring on his index finger, and I did the same with the opal ring.
"I love you, Momoko. I always have."
I swear, I might have created a river in the MAHO-dou if Nick had been any more emotional. He sure knows how to make me happy.
"I know, Nick. I love you, too."
We quickly, yet subtly closed the gaps between us, our lips ending up together. We stayed like that for about ten seconds, during which the others cheered loudly. When we broke apart, everyone was smiling brightly.
"Good job, Momo-chan," Doremi stated. "I don't think you could have found a better guy."
"We're all happy for you, Momo-chan," Onpu put in.
"Thanks, guys."
I had to fight back more tears. This was the best birthday I've ever had, made possible by the best friends I'll ever have.
Could it get any better than this?
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Author's Note: I'm such a freaking sap, I know.
Next time:
Chapter 5: The Forgotten Promise
After a few days of quiet, the gang decides to head to Misora High School and check up on everyone. We also learn a little more about our mysterious woman...
