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1 Cardcaptor Nadeshiko
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2 Chapter 1
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3 by G.P. and Amazoness Duo
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4 pearsong1954@yahoo.com
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5 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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6
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7 Spring came all in a rush that year, brusquely chasing away winter's chill. Nadeshiko was drawn
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8 to the burgeoning sunshine like all the plants and animals that bloomed and stirred after a long
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9 hibernation. The park near her house was closed for construction, but an indulgent mother
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10 cheerfully ferried the girl and her cousin to the nearby park at Tomoeda. Stopping in a crowded
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11 lot, Nadeshiko's mother bustled the children to the edge of the just-green grass. Sitting on her
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12 heels, she earnestly looked at her daughter as she spoke,
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13
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14 "Nadeshiko-chan, I want you to stay in the park, and be careful. Please don't wander around, and
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15 stick by Sonomi-chan, OK? Nadeshiko-chan?"
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16
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17 But the girl was already lost in the budding branches and twittering birds. Her emerald eyes
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18 sparkled in wonder as she clasped her hands and hopped excitedly. A little zephyr teasingly
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19 tossed her long, silvery hair, as if inviting the beautiful child to come and play. With a sigh,
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20 her mother smiled and looked at her daughter's companion.
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21
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22 Born nine months before her flighty cousin, Sonomi's height and serious manner made her seem more
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23 mature than her 10 years. Wearing her reddish-auburn hair in two long, practical pigtails, and
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24 dressed in a pretty white skirt with a frilly, long-sleeve mint-green blouse, she looked
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25 perfectly attired for the cool, spring day. Nadeshiko's mother placed her hand on the girl's
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26 shoulder and gazed into her sky-blue eyes. With a pleading smile, she said,
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27
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28 "Please try and watch out for her, Sonomi-chan."
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29
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30 Sonomi bowed quickly and answered, "Hai."
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31
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32 The Amamiya woman stood and said, "Il be back at three o'clock to pick you up. Oh, and here's
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33 some money for lunch. They have a nice little stand that sells snacks over by the playground.
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34 Have a fun time!"
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35
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36 As the older woman waved and walked away, Sonomi bowed, but her daughter was already running
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37 towards the bushes, quickly followed by her nearly frantic cousin. Poised to enter the car, she
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38 watched them from a distance. Her precious daughter, growing up so fast! With a smile and a
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39 sigh, she started the engine and drove away.
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40
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41 Nadeshiko tilted back her head and stared at the sky. She began to twirl about; arms spread
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42 wide, giggling, slowly gaining speed as the dancing dizziness took her. Laughing, she collapsed
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43 in a heap as the shimmering world tilted and spun. Lying back in the grass, shading her eyes
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44 from the dazzling sun, she slowly regained her equilibrium. Puffy white clouds hovered in the
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45 turquoise sky, drifting gently on some unseen breeze. The little girl loved simple things. Each
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46 leaf and pebble, every grain of sand and drop of briny water at the beach was a world of it's
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47 own. She could stare for hours at droplets trickling down a rainy-day window, or fat, white
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48 snowflakes silently falling. Boredom was an alien emotion she had never experienced, for there
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49 was always something to catch and teasingly hold her attention. Closing her eyes, feeling the
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50 world swirling about in the inner darkness, she heard a voice softly calling,
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51
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52 "Nadeshiko-chan, you shouldn't spin around like that. You'll make yourself sick."
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53
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54 Her eyelashes fluttered, and a slightly tilting Sonomi filled her vision. Sonomi-chan! For a
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55 moment she lay there, gazing at the solemnly beautiful girl sitting by her side. She felt
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56 ice-blue eyes regarding her with loving care and concern. Smiling, she reached out and lightly
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57 took one of the swaying pigtails in her hand. Fascinated, she traced the contours of the
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58 twisting braids with her fingers, her eyes following the terra-cotta curves of the girl's
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59 lustrous hair. In a whispery voice she asked,
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60
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61 "Sonomi-chan, can you show me how to braid my hair like this? It's so pretty."
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62
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63 Sonomi blinked in momentary confusion. Feeling her hair in the hand of the gorgeous girl left
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64 her breathless and blushing. She felt a flash of irritation at herself for being so surprised at
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65 her cousin's sudden change of topic. She was often blindsided by the strange girl's erratic
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66 thoughts and actions. With an inner sigh, she conceded the impossibility of sticking to the
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67 original topic. Rather than continuing her lecture on the dangers of dizziness, she let herself
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68 go with the unpredictable flow. She was also aware of the crimson-hot blush spreading across her
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69 cheeks as she answered,
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70
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71 "Thank you, Nadeshiko-chan. I'd love to show you how to braid your hair someday."
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72
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73 For a while Nadeshiko was silent, lost in contemplation. Then she sat up, gazing at Sonomi. Her
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74 cousin looked away, blushing again, unable to voice the feelings she barely understood. Nadeshiko
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75 stood and suddenly started singing to herself, beaming down at Sonomi. She teetered for a few
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76 halting steps, giggling at her fading dizziness. Sonomi shot up to steady her, and was suddenly
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77 hugged by her cousin. The slender body embraced her tightly, nearly overwhelming her in a storm
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78 of scented, silvery hair. Again she heard the soft, feathery voice,
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79
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80 "I love you, Sonomi-chan."
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81
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82 Sonomi was dumbstruck. Nadeshiko baffled her, enchanted her, and set her heart racing. Around
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83 the girl her emotions were always in a whirl, robbing her of speech and reason. All she could do
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84 was hug back with a fierce, mysterious affection. Finally, Nadeshiko laughed in a high-pitched
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85 trill, then dashed away like some nymph in the forest. Sonomi breathlessly watched her go, shook
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86 off the odd urge to cry, and then sprinted off to make sure she was all right.
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87
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88 All that day they played in the park. The spring sun warmed them, and the buds and blossoms,
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89 shaking off the shackles of winter, cheered them with the news that all life comes ‘round again.
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90 They nibbled little crackers and snacks, and Nadeshiko bought a sweet potato from a broken-down
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91 looking truck. Sonomi frowningly said they might get ill from such unlady-like fare, but accepted
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92 the steaming portion of sweetness from her cousin, secretly reveling in the illicit treat.
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93 Finally, they wandered to an open field bordered with sakura trees. The cherry blossoms were in
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94 early bloom, floating over the grassy expanse like pink and white clouds. Nadeshiko squealed in
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95 delight and ran to greet her favorite flowers. Sonomi trailed along behind, half watching a group
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96 of older boys playing baseball at the far end of the field. One of them, large and muscular,
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97 swung hard and knocked himself down, laughing all the while. But the next pitch he pulverized,
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98 the ball leaping off his bat, rocketing past the outfield, towards the sakura trees, and, Sonomi
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99 realized in horror, right at Nadeshiko-chan.
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100
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101 Nadeshiko stopped running as soon as she reached the first tree. She looked up at the sky,
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102 dappled sunlight scattered by thousands of sakura blossoms waving gently in the breeze. Reaching
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103 up with delicate fingers, she touched a satiny flower, felt the hard, rough branch and a slick,
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104 shimmering green leaf. Overflowing with indescribable joy, eyes drinking in the quivering beauty,
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105 she smiled. She felt her body melting away, her ephemeral frame vaporizing in a spray of light.
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106 For an instant she saw with the eyes of the tree, old eyes that had watched a hundred thousand
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107 sunsets and millions of stars spinning in the black satin sky. She saw the world of trees, where
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108 time meanders in a slow and steady flow, where people and birds and bugs chatter and eat and
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109 pass away in an instant. And then, she saw the ball, a streak of white lightning blazing straight
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110 at her, at the flowers and buds and branches, at the fragile flesh and bone of her pale,
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111 porcelain face. She heard a thin scream, wailing from far away, calling a name, her name? But
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112 she stood still, entranced by the dipping arc of the ball as it sailed towards her, gathering
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113 speed in descent, whispering of pain and disfigurement and dark, seductive death. As the white
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114 blur approached, crashing through the twigs and leaves, sending up a shower of pretty, pink
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115 sakura blossoms, she felt a sudden pressure on her arm and shoulder, a jarring shove knocking
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116 her off balance. Her eyes followed the slow-motion flight of the ball as she fell, it's course
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117 straight and true even as it's target tilted away. The ball struck, cushioned by her thick,
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118 silken hair, glancing off the side of her head. In a flash her vision grayed and faded, and the
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119 blackness took her.
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120
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121 Sonomi exploded in a desperate sprint, a fatal race against the streaking ball. As she strained
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122 every muscles and sinew, she saw Nadeshiko transfixed, watching the sky. She screamed her name
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123 even as her lungs gasped for air, but the girl ignored her. Panic and fear were swallowed in a
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124 longing for speed as all thoughts and feelings gave way to a singularity of instinct. As
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125 Nadeshiko filled her vision she leapt like a panther for the kill, outstretched fingers clawing
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126 at the innocent girl. Her momentum shoved her cousin back with a sudden snap, but too late, as
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127 the ball hit her head with a sickening thud. The two tumbled to the ground together, but Sonomi
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128 quickly sprang back up and knelt by Nadeshiko's side. Her eyes closed, the girl lay still as
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129 death in the sweet, spring grass. Sonomi felt an icy dread gripping her chest as she stared at
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130 the broken doll figure splayed in the grass, silvery hair spread like a fan, framing the
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131 beautiful, lifeless face. The unthinkable tore at her self-control like some frenzied animal.
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132 She trembled, tears falling freely, dotting Nadeshiko's creamy white ice-cream dress like little
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133 raindrops. She was oblivious to the breathless voice behind her,
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134
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135 "No. Oh, no."
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136
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137 The teenage boy in the baseball uniform knelt on the other side of the fallen girl, concern
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138 etched in his face. He reached out and took the girl's slender wrist, feeling for a pulse. The
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139 relief poured out in his gentle voice,
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140
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141 "She's alive. Thank goodness. I was so afraid. My, my house is right over there. Let's take her
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142 there, OK?"
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143
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144 Sonomi, still in shock, nodded as the sempai easily lifted the stricken girl, carefully cradling
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145 her head in his large arms.
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146
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147 Nadeshiko slowly awoke in shadowy darkness, with only a thin trickle of sunlight eking past the
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148 drawn shades of an unfamiliar room. Fragments of dreams lingered as her eyes focused on the dimly
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149 lit ceiling. She scanned the unfamiliar space, and then heard the music again. The music from her
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150 dreams, the music she had followed while she slept. Slept? Why was she sleeping in a funny room
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151 like this? But the music called to her again, and she sat up, listening. She stood, a bit
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152 unsteady at first, and then tiptoed to the door. The music was behind there, behind that door.
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153 Curious, she opened it a crack, and heard the music swell. It was some sort of dance music, a
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154 Western waltz, maybe. Her eyes were already used to the darkness, and she carefully crept down
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155 the creaking stairs. Awareness of a headache slowly came, but in her fascination with the
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156 alluring music she ignored it. Finally, she reached the basement floor, and found herself in the
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157 middle of a library.
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158
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159 There were all manner of books packed on the shelves, most of them very old looking, with titles
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160 in languages she could not read. She followed the delightfully cheery music, looking for a radio
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161 or phonograph. But there were only books. Finally, she paused, puzzled, and simply listened to
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162 the wonderful tune. She smiled. And then she began to dance.
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163
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164 Holding the scalloped hem of her dress, she slowly began to twirl and step to the music. She
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165 was, at times, something of a clumsy girl, and wondered if that explained the bump on her head
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166 that she felt just now. But she danced with an easy grace, and was charming to behold. Her mother
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167 had enrolled her in dance class at an early age, and if she lacked the burning desire and
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168 ambition of the other girls, her natural beauty and poise had quickly won over the instructors.
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169 The Russian woman told her mother that the girl had the natural talent to be a professional
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170 ballerina, and that in the old country she would have been boarded at one of the great ballet
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171 schools and molded properly. But Nadeshiko was too easily distracted, and her sweetness too
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172 potent for the teachers to apply the harsh discipline needed to bend her to their will. Yet when
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173 she danced, the other students watched, some in awe and some in envy, for she seemed to them
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174 like some fugitive from the realms of Faerie.
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175
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176 So she danced, green eyes sparkling, hair loose and free, bare feet tracing deft patterns on the
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177 dusty floor. The magic buried deep inside of her awoke, and shone forth like a blazing beacon of
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178 pure, white light. In the cramped spaces of the dark basement she leapt and spun, a shimmering
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179 whirlwind of pirouettes and swirls. Then her motions slowed, fingers tracing slow circles in the
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180 air, timidly tip-toeing like a fawn in the deep forest. Gyrating, gliding with light-footed ease,
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181 she danced for the music whose source she could not see. But she was seen, and watched with
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182 surprise, delight, and yearning. Suddenly leaping high, then descending airily, her dress
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183 ruffling like gossamer in the wind, she was startled by a thudding sound on the ground by her
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184 tiny feet. The music stopped, and so did her dance. Curious, she bent over and picked the book
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185 up. It was an odd volume, ancient by it's look, heavy, and thick with dust. She brushed it off,
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186 and saw the image of a winged, golden lion on the back, and strange moons and a sun on the front.
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187 The book was fastened with metallic clasp, and as she examined it more closely she realized that
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188 it was a western book, and the lion was actually on the front cover. But what could be in such a
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189 strange and marvelous volume? Why was it locked tight? Aching to know, her agile fingers
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190 carefully pried the clasp. At first resistent, it suddenly sprang open with a click that sounded
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191 distressingly loud in the quiet basement.
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192
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193 Nadeshiko gently opened the book and was amazed to find not pages, but a recessed hollow
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194 containing what looked like cards. She carefully placed the book on the floor, and took out the
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195 top card. It was so beautiful! On it was a young woman in a magical dress that looked just like
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196 a blossom. Her hair was worn in two twirly cones, with little spiral tresses dangling at the
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197 ends. She had flowers for earrings, and smiled beatifically, eyes closed, as petals rained down
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198 upon her. There were strange, petal-like symbols on her forehead and breast. The mysterious
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199 figure was bordered by a frame with the sun on top, two seven-pointed stars on each side, and a
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200 crescent moon at her feet. She was absolutely adorable, and Nadeshiko loved her at first sight.
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201 Her name was written in Romanic letters, in the English language that always baffled the girl at
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202 school. Nadeshiko struggled to remember the complex patterns of sound that the alien letters
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203 formed,
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204
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205 "Teh...heh.....ee...The, The! Foo...Row..." She struggled with the impossible "L" sound.
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206 Concentrating, her tongue feeling odd and thick, she tried again,
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207
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208 "The...Fo...low...her......Follow?....The Flower!"
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209
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210 The excitment of discovery lit up her face, and in the same instant the card was lit with an
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211 equally sudden, oscillating white light. She felt the card fall, or leap, from her hand, and was
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212 momentarily blinded by the shatteringly brilliant light. Falling backwards in surprise and
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213 banging into a bookshelf, she barely kept on her feet. Painfully squinting her eyes, the room
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214 was illuminated in a soft, pale, glow. Gradually growing used to the brightness, she discerned
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215 the outline of a figure in front of her. At the same time she caught the unmistakable scent of
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216 flowers, hundreds of flowers mingled together, gardens and greenhouses and fields full of
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217 flowers. With a start, she recognized the outline of the figure before her as the beautiful
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218 young woman in the card.
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219
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220 Open-mouthed, she gasped as the woman slowly approached her. Regarding her with luminous,
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221 multi-hued eyes, the flowery creature dipped in a pretty little curtsey. Not quite sure what
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222 else to do, Nadeshiko held the hem of her dress and offered her own curtsey in return. This
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223 brought a musical giggle from the woman, who smiled and leaned closer, regarding the barefoot
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224 girl with fascination. She reached out a hand, and gently ran her fingers through the long,
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225 silvery hair. Resting her palm on the girl’s cheek, Nadeshiko closed her eyes, nearly
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226 overwhelmed by the sweet scent of roses and lilies. Her eyes shot open as she felt a hand
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227 embrace her waist, pulling her closer as the music swelled. When the woman took her other hand
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228 and held her close, Nadeshiko blushed. This brought more giggles from the strange new
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229 acquaintance as she neatly stepped into the pace of the music.
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230
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231 And so they danced, Nadeshiko quickly falling into the rhythm of her taller partner. She had
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232 danced with other girls in her class, but never with someone like this. The two swept over the
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233 floor in a graceful arc, the girl following her partner step by step. At first, Nadeshiko
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234 labored to keep up, but she quickly gained familiarity with the pattern, and soon gave herself
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235 over to the motion and the music. There was a dreamy, unreal quality to the dance, and the girl
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236 was aware that as they spun and dipped, a flurry of flower petals were left in their wake. As
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237 the tempo picked up, they whirled about faster and faster, whipping up the air into a little
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238 cyclone. The books were shaken on the shelves, and Nadeshiko saw the cards in the mysterious
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239 book she had found thrown into the air, glowing and shimmering, spinning along with their dance.
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240 Finally, the cards burst through the ceiling in a blaze of light, slipping through the wooden
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241 surface like pebbles dropped in a lake. Astonished, concerned, and breathless from the waltz,
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242 Nadeshiko spoke in a panicky whisper, “Please stop.”
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243
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244 In an instant, Flower flowed like liquid back into her card as Nadeshiko watched in stunned
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245 silence. Dizzy from all the twirling and spinning, the girl picked up the card in one hand, and
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rlm@0
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246 felt her throbbing head with the other. Suddenly, a high-pitched voice shrieked out behind her,
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247 and the already disoriented girl leapt into the air,
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248
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249 “The Cards!”
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250
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251 Nadeshiko quickly bowed her apologies, “Gomenesai, I, Umm, it was all my fault. I didn’t know
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252 that the dancing would scatter them so.”
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253
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254 But as she peeked to see the feet of the owner of the voice, there was nothing but empty floor.
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255 Puzzled, she raised her eyes higher, and finally saw a small, winged little creature, paws on
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256 his cheek, staring dumbstruck at the now empty book on the floor. Nadeshiko stood up and stared
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rlm@0
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257 in turn. Despite it’s obvious distress, the little animal was irresistibly kawaii, and with a
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258 delighted squeel the girl grabbed the creature and smothered it in a giggling hug. Squirming away
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259 from the demonstrative stranger, the furry animal shot back in an accusatory tone,
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260
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rlm@0
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261 “Who are you? Where did the Cards go? How did they get free?”
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262
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rlm@0
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263 Giggling, Nadeshiko bowed and answered brightly, “I’m Amamiya Nadeshiko.” Then, clasping her
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264 hands behind her back, she leaned forward and continued, “I’m so very sorry if I lost your cards.
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265 I guess it happened when Flower and I were dancing. She’s such an amazing dancer, and I guess we
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266 set too fast a pace. “
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267
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268 The furry creature regarded her with a suspicious gaze and asked, “How did Flower get free. Did
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269 you see who did it?”
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270
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271 Nadeshiko tilted her head, placing her fingertip on her cheek as she tried to remember, “Well, I
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272 don’t really know. I first saw her appear after I said her name written on the card.”
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273
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274 Wings beating faster, the hovering animal looked at her in disbelief, “You set her free? But you
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275 aren’t the Card Captor. You can’t be.”
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276
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277 Nadeshiko smiled and replied, “I don’t know what that is, a Card Captor, I mean. If I see that
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278 person, I’ll be happy to tell you.”
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279
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rlm@0
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280 “You spoke Flower’s name,” the creature asked. The girl smilingly nodded her assent.
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281
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rlm@0
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282 “And then she appeared.” Again, the smile and the nod. The little animal continued to regard her,
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283 as if measuring her against some hidden standard. Finally, he asked,
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284
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rlm@0
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285 “You opened the book.”
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286
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287 Still smiling, she replied, “The Book.”
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288
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289 He nodded.
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290
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291 “THE Book.” She stated definitively.
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292
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293 Again, he nodded. With a puzzled look she asked,
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294
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295 “What book is that?”
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296
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297 After his dizziness cleared, the animal squeeked angrily, “Baka! The Clow Book! The book with
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298 all the cards in it.”
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299
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300 Nadeshiko’s expression brightened, “Oh, THAT book! Yes, I opened it. That’s where I saw the
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301 Flower card. I wonder what other cards were in there.” She stood lost in this new thought.
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302
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303 He gazed at her wonderingly, thinking to himself, “Is she the one? How can it possibly be her?
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304 Something about all this seems so wrong. But she says she opened the Book, and summoned The
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305 Flower. And she sent her back; I saw that with my own eyes. How could she possibly do that
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306 unless…” Finally, he spoke up in a rolling, portentous voice,
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307
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308 “Yes, now I see. I can see that you are indeed the Card Captor of legend. I am the Beast of the
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309 Seal, Kereberous the Golden, Guardian of the Cards, and for 300 years my vision has never failed.
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310 Even now, the challenge of the Cards calls to us. Come, Card Captor, for our work begins!”
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311
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312 Kereberous struck an awesome pose, a formidable combination of determination, will, and hearty
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313 good fellowship. In response, Nadeshiko replied,
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314
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rlm@0
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315 “I wonder if there were any other flowers in there. Oh, or maybe other pretty things, like cute
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316 little netsuke, or maybe some yummy food cards!”
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317
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rlm@0
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318 Kereberous stared in disbelief at the girl, oblivious to everything he had said. Holding a paw
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rlm@0
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319 to his bowed head he released an exasperated sigh. As he was about to speak again, a desperate
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rlm@0
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320 scream rose from the floor above, “Nadeshiko-chan? Nadeshiko-chan! Where are you?”
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321
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322 The girl looked up at the ceiling and whispered, “Sonomi-chan?”
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323
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324
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