|
rlm@0
|
1 Cardcaptor Nadeshiko
|
|
rlm@0
|
2 Chapter Zero
|
|
rlm@0
|
3 by G.P. and the Amazoness Duo
|
|
rlm@0
|
4
|
|
rlm@0
|
5 On Sonomi’s tenth birthday it rained hard all day. Mother cancelled the party, leaving her
|
|
rlm@0
|
6 daughter with the dreary prospect of being cooped up indoors. Like most girls her age Sonomi
|
|
rlm@0
|
7 was active and easily bored, so being shut in by the weather left her edgy and irritable.
|
|
rlm@0
|
8 Frustrated, she prowled the house like a restless animal, looking at the birthday decorations
|
|
rlm@0
|
9 with a pitiful disappointment. Surprised by a knock at the front door, she was opened it and
|
|
rlm@0
|
10 heard the rushing roar of the heavy rain. There stood her cousin Nadeshiko, drenched by the
|
|
rlm@0
|
11 downpour, smiling sweetly as always. Stunned, Sonomi silently ushered her in, then frantically
|
|
rlm@0
|
12 began yelling for her mother to bring all the towels in the house, and quickly. Her mother rushed
|
|
rlm@0
|
13 to the hallway, spied the dripping wet girl, shook her head and laughed,
|
|
rlm@0
|
14 “Oh, my goodness! Nadeshiko-chan, you look like something that the cat dragged in.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
15
|
|
rlm@0
|
16 Sonomi blurted out indignantly, “Mother, it’s not funny. She could get pneumonia or something!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
17
|
|
rlm@0
|
18 Mother regarded her worried daughter with a smile. Then, as mothers ever have, she began to bring
|
|
rlm@0
|
19 order out of chaos, “Sonomi-chan, get the big red blanket from the hall closet. Nadeshiko-chan,
|
|
rlm@0
|
20 lets get you out of those wet clothes and into a hot bath right away. I guess you can wear some
|
|
rlm@0
|
21 of Sonomi-chan’s clothing”.
|
|
rlm@0
|
22
|
|
rlm@0
|
23 Nadeshiko chimed in brightly, as if all the bedlam concerned her not in the least, “Thank you,
|
|
rlm@0
|
24 Oka-sama, but I brought clothes for the party I can change into afterwards.” Smiling proudly, she
|
|
rlm@0
|
25 held forth a large package carefully wrapped in plastic.
|
|
rlm@0
|
26
|
|
rlm@0
|
27
|
|
rlm@0
|
28 Sonomi’s mother smiled indulgently, “All right dear. Let’s get you in the tub straight away.
|
|
rlm@0
|
29 Sonomi darling, please get me that blanket.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
30
|
|
rlm@0
|
31
|
|
rlm@0
|
32 Suddenly remembering her appointed task, the red-haired girl leapt up the stairs and hurried to
|
|
rlm@0
|
33 the hall closet. Her birthday forgotten, she felt a sickening knot in her stomach as she fretted
|
|
rlm@0
|
34 about her precious cousin. Grabbing the heavy woolen blanket, she dashed to the bathroom.
|
|
rlm@0
|
35 Entering, she heard the sound of running water, and her mother’s voice calling out, “Sonomi-chan,
|
|
rlm@0
|
36 please get that blanket around Nadeshiko right away.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
37
|
|
rlm@0
|
38
|
|
rlm@0
|
39 Sonomi stepped over a heap of damp clothing, and then saw the girl hugging herself for warmth,
|
|
rlm@0
|
40 naked and shivering in the cold, October air. She looked like some bedraggled fairy, her long,
|
|
rlm@0
|
41 silver-gray hair a wet and stringy shawl draped over her slender body. Sonomi quickly wrapped her
|
|
rlm@0
|
42 up and hugged her tightly, as if to give her own warmth to the trembling girl. Looking at her
|
|
rlm@0
|
43 cousin with glistening, grateful eyes, Nadeshiko spoke in her whispery, musical lilt, “Thank you,
|
|
rlm@0
|
44 Sonomi-chan.” Burying her head in her cousin’s chest, she waited patiently for the bath to fill.
|
|
rlm@0
|
45
|
|
rlm@0
|
46
|
|
rlm@0
|
47 Later that afternoon, the willowy girl sat on a chair by the window, staring out at the dark,
|
|
rlm@0
|
48 ragged clouds scudding across the steel gray sky. Enraptured by the jagged lightning illuminating
|
|
rlm@0
|
49 the thunderclouds, Nadeshiko listened eagerly for the distant rumbling and booming to follow.
|
|
rlm@0
|
50 Clapping her hands in delight, she ooh'ed and ahh'ed with each brilliant burst of light like a
|
|
rlm@0
|
51 fireworks display at a festival. Simple things intrigued her, and this showy display of Nature
|
|
rlm@0
|
52 filled her with an indescribable joy. For the odd nine year-old, the world was an endlessly
|
|
rlm@0
|
53 fascinating place. Sometimes, she would sit still and quiet for hours, watching an ant laboring
|
|
rlm@0
|
54 mightily with an enormous crumb, or a delicate spider weaving her web with silent dedication.
|
|
rlm@0
|
55 Oblivious to the stares and whispers that followed her peculiar behavior, she dwelt in a solitary
|
|
rlm@0
|
56 world inhabited only by herself and the current object of her fascination. Thus it was to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
57 expected that, enthralled by the crashing thunderstorm, she was quite unaware that her equally
|
|
rlm@0
|
58 enthralled cousin was staring at her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
59
|
|
rlm@0
|
60
|
|
rlm@0
|
61 Sonomi perched on the edge of her bed, watching intently. Nadeshiko had changed into the outfit
|
|
rlm@0
|
62 she had brought in the package, and now wore a frilly, flouncy dress of pure white taffeta that
|
|
rlm@0
|
63 made her look like a fairy tale princess. This was no doubt her Mother's doing, as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
64 invariably dressed the lovely child in the cutest manner possible, like some rare and precious
|
|
rlm@0
|
65 doll. Her flowing hair, a curious shade of silvery-gray, was loosely tied with bows of light blue
|
|
rlm@0
|
66 ribbon. She wore white shoes and lacey anklets, her crinoline crinkling as she swung her feet
|
|
rlm@0
|
67 back and forth. Sonomi gazed at her with an aching heart, a longing she felt but did not
|
|
rlm@0
|
68 understand. Yet the joy that bubbled up inside her was tinged with sadness, as if all her
|
|
rlm@0
|
69 happiness rested on a perilously fragile foundation. It was more than a girl just turned ten
|
|
rlm@0
|
70 could fathom, so she spoke out almost irritably, struggling to put her confused and distraught
|
|
rlm@0
|
71 feelings into words,
|
|
rlm@0
|
72
|
|
rlm@0
|
73 “Nadeshiko-chan, why did you go out in the rain like that?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
74
|
|
rlm@0
|
75
|
|
rlm@0
|
76 Literally lost in the clouds, her cousin failed to respond. Sonomi sighed, and reflected on this
|
|
rlm@0
|
77 craziest of birthdays. After a warm bath and hot tea, Nadeshiko had defied all Sonomi’s worries
|
|
rlm@0
|
78 by appearing perfectly fine. Mother broke out the party hats, colorful napkins, and all the
|
|
rlm@0
|
79 birthday regalia that had been consigned to the closet. At first it seemed quite foolish, this
|
|
rlm@0
|
80 party of two, but Nadeshiko’s innocent enthusiasm soon swept away the birthday girl’s lingering
|
|
rlm@0
|
81 inhibitions. After luncheon, Nadeshiko insisted on singing Happy Birthday in as rousing a chorus
|
|
rlm@0
|
82 as she could manage with her gentle voice. Sonomi blushed during the song, and after when her
|
|
rlm@0
|
83 cousin hugged her with delirious abandon. Now, clad in her birthday party best, the silver-haired
|
|
rlm@0
|
84 girl seemed oblivious to Sonomi’s edgy concern. Clearing her throat, the auburn-haired girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
85 spoke up in a voice loud enough to get her distracted cousin’s attention,
|
|
rlm@0
|
86
|
|
rlm@0
|
87 “Nadeshiko-chan!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
88
|
|
rlm@0
|
89
|
|
rlm@0
|
90 Startled, the girl turned around. Sonomi, unable to hide her gnawing worry, said,
|
|
rlm@0
|
91
|
|
rlm@0
|
92 “Nadeshiko-chan, why did you come like that in the rain? You could have gotten terribly sick.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
93
|
|
rlm@0
|
94
|
|
rlm@0
|
95 Tilting her head and smiling brightly, she replied, “Nadeshiko would have felt terrible if she
|
|
rlm@0
|
96 had missed Sonomi-chan’s wonderful tenth birthday party.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
97
|
|
rlm@0
|
98
|
|
rlm@0
|
99 Exasperated, Sonomi declared, “But didn’t your parents tell you the party was cancelled? I can’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
100 believe they let you go out in weather like this.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
101
|
|
rlm@0
|
102
|
|
rlm@0
|
103 “Oh, they told me the party was cancelled. But that would have made Sonomi-chan too sad on her
|
|
rlm@0
|
104 special day. Sonomi-chan being sad would have been worse than any cold I could catch.” With that,
|
|
rlm@0
|
105 she giggled conspiratorially and whispered,
|
|
rlm@0
|
106
|
|
rlm@0
|
107 “Mother and Father didn’t know I was coming. But I left them a note for when they get back, so
|
|
rlm@0
|
108 everything is all right.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
109
|
|
rlm@0
|
110
|
|
rlm@0
|
111 As if that settled the matter, Nadeshiko went back to sky gazing, leaving Sonomi more perplexed
|
|
rlm@0
|
112 than ever. But suddenly, the silver-haired girl leaped up, clasping her hands and blurting out,
|
|
rlm@0
|
113 “Oh!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
114
|
|
rlm@0
|
115
|
|
rlm@0
|
116 Sonomi felt her heart racing as she exclaimed, “Nadeshiko-chan, what’s wrong?”
|
|
rlm@0
|
117
|
|
rlm@0
|
118
|
|
rlm@0
|
119 Nadeshiko bolted for the door and sang out, “I’ll be right back. Stay there, and no peeking!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
120
|
|
rlm@0
|
121
|
|
rlm@0
|
122 In no time she was back, holding two rather soggy presents wrapped in pink paper and bows. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
123 bowed and smiled apologetically as she merrily offered the first one to her startled cousin,
|
|
rlm@0
|
124
|
|
rlm@0
|
125
|
|
rlm@0
|
126 "Happy Birthday, Sonomi-chan!"
|
|
rlm@0
|
127
|
|
rlm@0
|
128
|
|
rlm@0
|
129 Sonomi took the package, looked at it, then stared at Nadeshiko. Smiling, she shook her head and
|
|
rlm@0
|
130 began to undo the ribbon. Thoughts of her crazy cousin gave way to a child's curiosity as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
131 carefully undid the ribbons, then ran a finger through the seam of the paper. It was skillfully
|
|
rlm@0
|
132 wrapped, which led her to believe that Nadeshiko's mother had done it. Finally the paper shook
|
|
rlm@0
|
133 loose, revealing a scrapbook with a hand-written title, "Sonomi-Chan's Precious Memories." The
|
|
rlm@0
|
134 script was labored and unsteady, as if her cousin had spent an inordinate amount of time trying
|
|
rlm@0
|
135 to get it just right. The cover was gaily decorated with hand-drawn hearts and flowers, and odd
|
|
rlm@0
|
136 little animals and faces. She opened it, and saw the blank pages had little marginal notes and
|
|
rlm@0
|
137 drawings written in a familiar, childlike scrawl. She looked up and saw Nadeshiko's expectant
|
|
rlm@0
|
138 face, and struggled to keep her own tears in check as she spoke,
|
|
rlm@0
|
139
|
|
rlm@0
|
140
|
|
rlm@0
|
141 "Thank you so very much. It's beautiful."
|
|
rlm@0
|
142
|
|
rlm@0
|
143
|
|
rlm@0
|
144 The silver-haired girl smiled with glee as she bounced up and down , "Open the other one! Open
|
|
rlm@0
|
145 the other one!"
|
|
rlm@0
|
146
|
|
rlm@0
|
147
|
|
rlm@0
|
148 Sonomi carefully placed the hand-made scrapbook on her desk. It was typical of Nadeshiko's
|
|
rlm@0
|
149 presents. Despite a lack of skill or craft, her little gifts were imbued with an innocent love
|
|
rlm@0
|
150 that deeply touched the heart. Sonomi took the next package, which was a small rectangle.
|
|
rlm@0
|
151 Carefully opening it, she saw a box for a camera kit. With a puzzled glance at her cousin she
|
|
rlm@0
|
152 asked, "What is it?"
|
|
rlm@0
|
153
|
|
rlm@0
|
154
|
|
rlm@0
|
155 Nadeshiko could scarecely contain herself, "Open it, Sonomi-chan, open it!"
|
|
rlm@0
|
156
|
|
rlm@0
|
157
|
|
rlm@0
|
158 What on earth did she put in this box, Sonomi wondered. Cookies? Candies? Undoing the tape on the
|
|
rlm@0
|
159 lid, she pulled out a cardboard liner wrapped around a small, black camera. Stunned, she gaped
|
|
rlm@0
|
160 open-mouthed as Nadeshiko hopped up and down, her face alight with excitement, "Do you like it?
|
|
rlm@0
|
161 Do you like it?" The girl asked eagerly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
162
|
|
rlm@0
|
163
|
|
rlm@0
|
164 "It's...it's wonderful," Sonomi stammered, "But how did you...it must have been so expensive."
|
|
rlm@0
|
165
|
|
rlm@0
|
166
|
|
rlm@0
|
167 Nadeshiko's grinned hugely, " I saved up all my birthday money, and the money grandfather gave me
|
|
rlm@0
|
168 for Girl's Day. The man at the store said it was a very good camera. You can buy new lenses and
|
|
rlm@0
|
169 everything."
|
|
rlm@0
|
170
|
|
rlm@0
|
171
|
|
rlm@0
|
172 Sonomi ran her finger over the cold metal trim and the bumpy black body of the amazing
|
|
rlm@0
|
173 instrument. She had always been fascinated by photography, by the ability to capture a moment out
|
|
rlm@0
|
174 of time forever. But this was too much. She couldn't accept such a costly gift. Yet one look at
|
|
rlm@0
|
175 Nadeshiko's ecstatic face and she knew it would break her heart to refuse it. And that was
|
|
rlm@0
|
176 something she could never, ever do. Carefully placing the camera down on the desk, she wrapped
|
|
rlm@0
|
177 her arms around the long-haired girl. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she hugged tightly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
178 whispering thank-yous. Finally, reluctantly, she pulled back, wiping away the tears, and said,
|
|
rlm@0
|
179
|
|
rlm@0
|
180
|
|
rlm@0
|
181 "Well, the first picture should be of my most precious memory for my beautiful scrapbook. May I
|
|
rlm@0
|
182 please take your picture, Nadeshiko-chan?"
|
|
rlm@0
|
183
|
|
rlm@0
|
184
|
|
rlm@0
|
185 Her cousin bowed and answered in mock solemnity, "I would be honored to serve as the first
|
|
rlm@0
|
186 subject of the future famous photographer, Amamiya Sonomi-sama."
|
|
rlm@0
|
187
|
|
rlm@0
|
188
|
|
rlm@0
|
189 Giggling, the two girls examined the camera and began to read the complicated instructions.
|
|
rlm@0
|
190
|
|
rlm@0
|
191
|
|
rlm@0
|
192 II.
|
|
rlm@0
|
193
|
|
rlm@0
|
194 On the way home in the car as her mother gently chastised her, Nadeshiko's mind wandered. Her
|
|
rlm@0
|
195 walk in the rain was great fun, dodging from tree to tree, helping the poor little worms to keep
|
|
rlm@0
|
196 from drowning, and dancing in the streams and rivers that gurgled down the storm drains. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
197 warm bath and hot tea had felt so good, and the love of Sonomi's mother had washed over her like
|
|
rlm@0
|
198 a gentle wave. The magnificent cake was so pretty, with curlicues of pink and green frosting
|
|
rlm@0
|
199 around the edges, and little sugar decorations that looked like rosebuds. The look on Sonomi's
|
|
rlm@0
|
200 face as she unwrapped her presents had been so adorable. Nadeshiko's heart beat faster at the
|
|
rlm@0
|
201 thought of her precious cousin. She smiled, feeling the love swirl inside her heart.
|
|
rlm@0
|
202
|
|
rlm@0
|
203
|
|
rlm@0
|
204 And the pictures! Posing for the camera had been almost like dancing, gliding and moving like
|
|
rlm@0
|
205 liquid, her body infused with light, shimmering and transparent. Sonomi-chan was so cutely
|
|
rlm@0
|
206 flustered at first, but soon seemed determined to take the perfect shot. All that afternoon
|
|
rlm@0
|
207 Nadeshiko posed while Sonomi fussed with the camera. Finally, Nadeshiko's worried, apologetic
|
|
rlm@0
|
208 parents swept her away to home, where a comfy bed was waiting. By the time the car arrived at her
|
|
rlm@0
|
209 house, Nadeshiko had slipped into the land of dreams. Her father carried her to bed as she
|
|
rlm@0
|
210 danced with Sonomi under a purple moon.
|
|
rlm@0
|
211
|
|
rlm@0
|
212
|
|
rlm@0
|
213 The days that followed her birthday were an agony of waiting for Sonomi. On the way home from
|
|
rlm@0
|
214 school she stopped faithfully at the drugstore to see if her pictures were ready. Finally, on
|
|
rlm@0
|
215 Friday, the clerk saw her coming and smilingly placed a neatly wrapped brown packet on the
|
|
rlm@0
|
216 counter. Sonomi eagerly paid and ran home. At first she was crestfallen. Some of the shots were
|
|
rlm@0
|
217 blurry, or washed out, too light or too dark. She frowned, realizing only a dedicated effort
|
|
rlm@0
|
218 would bring the skill she needed to be a real photographer. But one came out just right:
|
|
rlm@0
|
219 Nadeshiko standing, holding a straw hat on her head, framed by the gray storm clouds in the
|
|
rlm@0
|
220 picture window. She looked carefree and natural, as if the camera did not even exist. Sonomi
|
|
rlm@0
|
221 always felt self-conscious when pictures were taken, but not Nadeshiko. In a way, the picture was
|
|
rlm@0
|
222 oddly disturbing, as if her cousin was blithely unaware of the furious storm that raged all
|
|
rlm@0
|
223 about her. But the anxiety Sonomi felt was eased by the sheer beauty of the photograph. Nadeshiko
|
|
rlm@0
|
224 looked like something from a storybook, a beautiful princess or a magical spirit. Sonomi felt a
|
|
rlm@0
|
225 hot, crimson blush on her cheeks, but could not stop looking at the ethereal image. All that day
|
|
rlm@0
|
226 she kept it with her, finally falling asleep under the covers, gazing at her beautiful cousin by
|
|
rlm@0
|
227 flashlight. In the morning, worried about the picture being crumpled, she carefully placed it in
|
|
rlm@0
|
228 her kawaii little scrapbook before going to school.
|
|
rlm@0
|
229
|
|
rlm@0
|
230
|
|
rlm@0
|
231 Then, and forever after, Nadeshiko would be her most precious memory.
|
|
rlm@0
|
232
|
|
rlm@0
|
233
|
