A method for encoding T2*-dependent contrasts into the preparation period of magnetization-prepared ultrafast MRI sequences is demonstrated and validated. The preparation block consists of a 90 degrees---tau---90 degrees p sequence, where p is shifted by 90 degrees for successive images. By adding two such successive images in quadrature, a combined image is obtained, in which the pixel intensities depend on the incoherent intravoxel dephasing that occurred during tau in a way that is similar to the dependence of TE in a gradient-echo sequence. The method could therefore be useful for applications that require very short repetition times for good temporal resolution, together with detection of T2*-weighted contrasts, such as functional MRI in the brain.