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1 Cardcaptor Nadeshiko
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2 Chapter 4
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3 by
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4 Amazoness Duo
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5 and
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6 G.P.
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7 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
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8 pearsong1954@yahoo.com
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9
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10 I.
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11 Nadeshiko sat huddled by the windowsill, intent on the rays of sunshine filtering through the
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12 glass. With emerald eyes, she scrutinized the delicate crystal swan cradled in her hands. Suddenly, the light caught a new facet of the beveled wing, showering the tatami mat with a
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13 fiery rainbow of color. The little girl let out a shrieking squeal of delight at this latest
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14 display. Fascinated by the morning’s little light show, she remained oblivious to the
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15 footsteps growing louder on the stairs. Nor did she notice the gentle rapping on the door
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16 that soon became a frantic pounding. Not even the worried voice of the old man could rouse
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17 her,
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18
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19 "Miss? Little Miss? Are you all right? Please open the door. I’ll have to break it down if...,
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20 oh, oh, it’s not locked. Forgive me, Miss, but I am opening the door now. Oh, I hope she is
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21 all right. I hope she is all right."
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22
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23
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24 Through wars, typhoons, and earthquakes, the old man had served three generations of
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25 Amamiyas, but rarely had he known such fear. Peering into the enormous sunroom of the
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26 family's summer cottage, he saw the little girl curled up into a ball by the shimmering
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27 picture window. She was utterly still and motionless, and his heart sank. Tottering over
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28 as quickly as his ancient legs would go, he reached with a trembling hand and gently touched
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29 her shoulder. In a halting whisper he asked,
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30
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31
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32 "Nadeshiko-sama, are you all right?"
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33
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34
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35 Reacting to the tentative touch, the little girl suddenly whirled around, all smiles. In
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36 a cheery, sing-song voice she replied,
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37
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38
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39 "Hai, ojiisan. Look at all the colors! Aren't they beautiful? Where do they come from? Are
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40 the colors inside the crystal? How do they get out? How do they all fit in? Does the sunlight
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41 unlock them somehow? I have to ask grandfather, but he won't be back until tomorrow. I know!
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42 I'll ask Teddy-chan. He knows lots of things."
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43
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44
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45 Clutching the crystal swan, the girl dashed down the hallway to her room, silvery hair
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46 trailing like the wisps of a little cloud. The old man slumped to the floor, letting out a
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47 slow, relieved breath. Smiling at last, he thought, "I hope her imaginary friend has better
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48 nerves than I."
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49
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50 Except that this particular imaginary friend was anything but. Teddy-chan, or Kereberous, as he
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51 preferred, spun the top and watched with glee as it zipped across the floor. Hovering in the
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52 air like a hummingbird, he followed the spinning toy on its journey across the parquet floor.
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53 When the breathless girl burst through the door, He jumped in surprise, then smiled with
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54 satisfaction at the thought, "The legendary Cardcaptor. And I found her."
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55
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56 Standing before him, catching her breath after running down the lengthy hallway, the girl
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57 suddenly burst out,
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58 "Teddy-chan, what makes the colors in my swan?"
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59
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60 Then, remembering her manners, she suddenly dipped a bow before continuing, "Ohayo,
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61 Teddy-chan. Do you know what makes the colors happen when the sunlight is on my swan? I was
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62 going to ask grandfather, but he won't be back until tomorrow. Do you know?"
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63
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64
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65 Folding his arms and bowing his head with thoughtful concern, the Seal Beast called upon
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66 his ageless wisdom to answer his eager pupil,
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67
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68 "Colors, yes, of course, of course. The colors happen because, well, it is hard to explain
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69 exactly why the colors happen the way they do. Perhaps you could show me which colors you
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70 mean?"
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71
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72 The little girl gleefully produced the sparkling crystal, and shifted it in the morning light
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73 streaming through her window. Suddenly, a dazzling blue-green ray flashed forth, lighting up
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74 the wall in a tiny rainbow. Teddy gaped in wonder as Nadeshiko giggled in delight.
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75
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76 "How, how did you...what is that?" He stared in amazement. At first, the girl had seemed
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77 the unlikeliest of Card Captors. Had he not seen the capricious Flower obey her without
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78 hesitation, he would never have believed it. No one would pick her out of a crowd as the
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79 successor to the fearsome Clow Reed. His memories of the great magician were vague and dark,
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80 much like the man himself. He remembered a quiet and reserved figure who could command with a
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81 glance, and force submission with the slightest of gestures. One by one, the mightiest of Hong
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82 Kong had challenged him, and in the end all had failed. His power seemed without limit, and in
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83 the end it twisted his soul and he became fell and frightful. Hazier still were the Beast’s
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84 feelings for his master. Sometimes at night he lay awake and the memories took him, memories
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85 of fear, love, and awe. And now, bringing him more confusion was this girl.
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86
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87
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88 Guarding the Cards for so long, he had nearly forgotten his purpose, the last command of his
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89 Master. Though every sign pointed to her, he still could not shed his doubts that something had
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90 gone wrong, and that this girl, though obviously connected to the Cards, was not the one. But
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91 he had made his choice, and would stick it out to the bitter end. And bitter it would be should
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92 she fail. Shaking off these hidden doubts, the fluttering beast returned to his learned lecture,
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93
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94 "This magical light is a mystery, and hard to explain. But as you gather more Cards, and
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95 more power, it will all become clear to you."
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96
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97 With wide eyes the girl stared at him, smiling in delight. Suddenly she grabbed him, squeezing
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98 the little creature frantically as she sang out,
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99
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100 Oh, thank you, Teddy-chan! I can’t wait to have more friends. I love Jump and Flower so much!
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101 When do you think we can find more Cards? Where do you think they are?
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102
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103 Squirming away, the blushing, exasperated Beast of the Seal struggled to maintain his cool,
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104
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105 “I don’t know where they are. They, they have their own minds, and some of them are a bit, well,
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106 erratic. But they won't all be as easy to find and capture as Jump.”
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107
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108 Nadeshiko gazed earnestly at the ruffled Teddy-chan,
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109
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110 “That’s all right. I know we can find them if we try our hardest.” The girl rose and walked
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111 lightly to the window that overlooked the forest encircling the lake. Lost in thought she
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112 whispered to herself,
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113
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114 “I wonder if there are any in there?”
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115
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116
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117 II.
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118 Nadeshiko sat on the grass and arranged the folds of her voluminous blue satin dress. It was a
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119 gift from her grandfather, and Teddy said that a Card Captor should be properly attired so as to
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120 impress the Cards with her grandeur. This was the grandest thing she could think of wearing,
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121 though it made walking through the tight undergrowth of the forest a little difficult. Finally
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122 satisfied, she unpacked her o-bento. The chef had made it for her, delighted by the oohs and
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123 ahhs of his appreciative audience of one. She nibbled the cold, sticky rice with her chopsticks
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124 and listened to the distant rumble of a summer thunderstorm. But here it was sunny and bright; a
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125 hot, humid, lazy summer day that lulled the senses. Crunching on a pink, pickled radish, she
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126 thought of all the cards that might lie in wait inside the woods. So eager to begin looking that
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127 she rose before dawn, then slipped out of the summer mansion with only the chef knowing she was
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128 awake. Even Teddy-chan snored through it all, she thought with a giggle.
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129
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130 Nadeshiko yawned and stretched, running her fingers through the green blades of grass in the
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131 little dale. All that morning and much of the afternoon she searched the woods with no sign of
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132 the cards. The forest was so much larger than she remembered from walks with her mother and
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133 grandfather. It was also hard to get one's bearings. There were so many wonderful trees! Each
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134 one looked and somehow felt different, and yet it seemed like she was seeing the same trees
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135 while walking about. This was an odd puzzle, but it really didn't matter. Here was a beautiful
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136 day, and she was eating a yummy lunch on the soft, soft, grass. That she was hopelessly lost
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137 never occurred to her, and even if it had, the thought would have left her placidly unconcerned.
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138 Full after eating only half of the delicious o-bento, the girl carefully re-wrapped it and then
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139 curled up in the shade of a massive oak tree. Sleep came swiftly, and as she drowsed the
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140 afternoon away, squirrels and birds peered in silent amazement at the strange little sleeping
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141 beauty.
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142
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143 All was not silent at the Amamiya summer mansion. After the disappearance of little
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144 Nadeshiko-sama became known, the household was in chaos. The tearful chef only knew she had
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145 taken her o-bento dressed in a beautiful blue outfit that was entirely inappropriate for out of
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146 doors. But a thorough search of the massive mansion had turned up nothing, and the searchers
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147 reluctantly expanded their scope to include the grounds and lake. With fear and trepedation they
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148 phoned Amamiya-sama, who rushed to the mansion. Stepping out of his limousine, he quickly took
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149 charge of the frantic servants and organized search parties to find his missing granddaughter.
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150 In his wake was a stunned-looking Sonomi, who had insisted on accompanying him when she
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151 discovered his reason for leaving the family's long-planned Sunday dinner. As the large bearded
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152 man grimly set the gardeners to dragging the lake, Sonomi slipped away and rushed to the room
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153 her cousin had been staying. Bursting through the door, she found a nervous Seal Beast peering
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154 out the window. Without pause she demanded frantically,
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155
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156 "Where is she?"
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157
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158 Teddy-chan spun about in surprise, then slumped to the ground,
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159
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160 "I don't know."
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161
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162 Sonomi snapped back angrily,
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163
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164 "What do you mean, you don't know? I thought you were her guardian or something?"
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165
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166 Teddy looked to the side, avoiding the ice-blue eyes of the furious child. In a quiet voice he
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167 replied,
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168
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169 "She left while I was asleep. I heard the chef telling them she got her lunch before it was
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170 light. But nobody knows where she went. I heard someone say that with the lake she may have..."
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171 The words died in his throat.
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172
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173 Sonomi dropped to the floor, her anger giving way to despair. For several minutes she sat on the
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174 floor, trying not to sob. Finally, she blinked her eyes and spoke to the Seal Beast in a
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175 carefully measured tone,
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176
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177 "Nadeshiko-chan would never go swimming all by herself, so she didn’t drown in the lake. She
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178 must be somewhere else. Did she give you any clue? Did she say anything at all about where she
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179 might be?"
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180
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181 Looking up in surprise, Teddy chan suddenly grew thoughtful. He spoke slowly, struggling to
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182 remember every detail,
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183
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184 "Last night she was talking about the cards, asking me where they might be. Oh, yes, she said
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185 something about wondering where they might be while she was looking out the window."
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186
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187 Revelation spread across both their faces as they simultaniously sprang up and ran to the
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188 massive picture window. The vast forest spread out before them, a fiery red carpet of trees lit
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189 by the westering sun. The girl and the diminutive Seal Beast looked at each other and nodded.
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190 Sonomi whispered,
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191
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192 "It’ll be dark soon, so I’ll go find a flashlight. We can't tell them why she went there, so
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193 make sure nobody sees us."
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194
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195 With that, the girl dashed out the door. In a few minutes she returned, flashlight in hand. In
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196 stealthy silence, the two slipped out of the house and vanished into the woods.
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197
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198 III.
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199
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200 Still as a statue, the little girl sat bathed in moonlight. It helped when her eyes were closed,
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201 so she was oblivious to the little cloud of fireflies dancing about her head. There was no doubt
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202 that a Clow Card was nearby. It was sort of like being hungry before the big New Year's dinner.
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203 Even if you weren’t allowed in the kitchen, you could sense the delicacies being prepared. In
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204 the same way she knew the Clow card was nearby, it's scent wafting in from the forest. She could
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205 feel it watching her, hesitant but interested. At first, she had pursued it through the
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206 impenetrable forest, but the mysterious card always stayed a step ahead. Laughing quietly to
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207 herself, she wished she had Sonomi's speed so she could run and catch it. But with all the trees
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208 everywhere, such speed probably wouldn't be very useful, anyway. For the same reason, she had
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209 rejected the idea of using Jump. So she resolved to simply sit and wait, and let the card come
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210 to her when it wanted to. It was like meeting someone new at school. At first, they would be
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211 shy and hesitant, even if they wanted to be friends. She was certain the card would like to meet
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212 her, but perhaps it was afraid, too. So, instead of chasing and scaring it away, she sat down in
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213 the little clearing and waited. She was a surprisingly patient girl, and could be very good at
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214 waiting when she wanted to.
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215
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216 Further away in the forest, Sonomi was also sitting. But unlike her cousin, she was not waiting
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217 patiently, but thinking frantically. All that kept a river of tears from flowing was her
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218 desperate resolution to find Nadeshiko. She willed herself not to cry. Crying would be an
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219 admission of defeat and an acknowledgement that something terrible had happened to her beautiful
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220 cousin, and neither possibility was acceptable. So instead, she sat deep in thought, puzzling
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221 out the girl’s disappearance. Finally she looked up at the hovering Seal Beast and asked,
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222
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223 “Where is the Clow Card?”
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224
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225 The fluttering creature, startled by the sudden break in the silence, gave her a curious look,
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226 “Eh?”
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227
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228 She repeated herself patiently, “Do you know where the Clow Card is that she is looking for?”
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229
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230 Shaking his head, Teddy-chan scanned the dark woods and answered,
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231
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232 “My powers are diminished in this form, but it seems to be over there somewhere.” He gestured
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233 towards the Northeast with a little paw. “But even if she is following it, she could be
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234 anywhere.”
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235
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236 Sonomi frowned as she stood, dusting off the leaves from her skirt. With a quick breath and a
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237 smile, she faced the flying creature and said, “No, she isn’t anywhere. She has to be somewhere.
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238 But we’ll never know just where by sitting here. She must be following the card, and if it’s
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239 that’s where it is, then she is, too. Let’s go.”
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240
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241 With that, they plunged into the forest. After a few moments, Teddy-chan stopped and pulled a
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242 small strip of blue fabric from a bramble bush. Holding it out to Sonomi he asked, “What’s this?”
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243
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244 Sonomi took the fabric and turned it over in her hands. It was made of sleek satin, colored a
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245 vibrant cobalt-blue. The girl instantly broke out in a broad grin and exclaimed, “That’s
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246 Nadeshiko’s! It’s from a dress grandfather gave her for Christmas, I’m sure of it! And this
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247 break in the trees looks like some sort trail. She must have gone this way.”
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248
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249 The Seal Beast smiled and nodded, and they both rushed down the pathway. As they walked,
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250 Sonomi’s flashlight illuminated other scraps of Nadeshiko’s dress. Following these inadvertent
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251 little signposts, they eventually came to edge of a clearing. There they stopped, both staring
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252 open-mouthed at the moonlit scene before them.
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253
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254 At the other end of the little dale, perhaps a hundred feet away, Nadeshiko sat in her tattered
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255 dress. In front of her stood Flower. The strange woman was fidgety, shifting back and forth as
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256 if standing still was unbearable. Practically entwined with her was another woman, all clad in
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257 green, luminous and shimmering, gently swaying in the breeze that rustled through the branches
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258 above them. Nadeshiko’s musical laughter carried over the field like a bell. When the shock of
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259 this sight wore off, Sonomi let out a shout mingled with relief and exultation and began to run.
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260 The green-tinged woman was startled, and seemed ready to bolt, but Flower hugged her tightly,
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261 soothing her with reassuring caresses. Nadeshiko turned about, smiled as she rose, and leapt
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262 into the arms of her onrushing cousin.
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263
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264 The two girls embraced in joy and relief. After several minutes they separated, and Sonomi gazed
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265 at her cousin in horror. The pretty face was bruised and scratched, a trickle of blood on her
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266 pale, slender neck. The silvery-gray hair was in disarray, entangled with twigs and leaves. Her
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267 dress was torn and ripped, and one shoe was missing. Trembling fearfully, Sonomi somehow managed
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268 to whisper,
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269
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270 “Nadeshiko-chan, are, are you all right?”
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271
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rlm@0
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272 Holding her cousin’s hands, the disheveled girl smiled and burst out enthusiastically,
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273
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rlm@0
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274 “Hai! I feel wonderful. I just knew that Wood-sama was here somewhere, and that she was afraid.
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275 That’s why I asked Flower-sama to talk with her, to let her know that I just wanted to be
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276 friends. Isn’t she beautiful, Sonomi-chan? Oh, I’m so sorry, I haven’t introduced you.
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277 Sonomi-chan, this is my wonderful new friend Wood-sama. Wood-sama, this is my very best friend
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278 and cousin, Sonomi-chan.”
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279
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280 The auburn-haired girl looked slightly flustered as she bowed. Flower leaned over and giggled as
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281 she whispered something in Wood’s ear. Wood blushed as she bowed, eyeing Sonomi curiously. A
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282 little coughing fit interrupted the proceedings, and Nadeshiko quickly added,
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283
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rlm@0
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284 “Oh, and this is Teddy-chan, the Beast of the Seal, who is also my friend.”
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285
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rlm@0
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286 “Long time, no see,” The flying figure announced in a suave voice. Flower curtsied and again
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287 whispered into Wood’s ear, reducing them both to giggles as they regarded the diminutive
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288 guardian. Teddy ignored this possible affront to his dignity as Sonomi, still looking at the
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289 battered Nadeshiko, spoke up,
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290
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291 “We should get home. Everyone is very worried.”
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292
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293 Nadeshiko placed her pointer finger to her cheek, trying to figure out just why anyone had cause
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294 to worry. Speaking with authority, Teddy addressed the silver-haired girl,
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295
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rlm@0
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296 “Nadeshiko-chan, there is something that still needs to be done. Do you have your staff?”
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297
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298 The girl brightened, nodding her head enthusiastically as she answered, “Hai.”
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299
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300 Stepping forward, straightening out the remnants of her cobalt-blue dress, she bowed to the
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301 verdant woman and spoke,
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302
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rlm@0
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303 “Wood-sama, if I may?”
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304
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305 Wood took a tentative step forward. She looked carefully at the little girl and smiled. Crossing
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306 her folded hands on her breast and closing her eyes, she waited. Nadeshiko glanced at the Seal
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307 Beast, who nodded, and then carefully touched the woman’s forehead with her staff as she spoke
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308 the chant,
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309
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310 “Clow Card, return to your true form.”
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311
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312 The light burst forth, swirling, and eddying around The Wood. As if she had turned to liquid,
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313 she flowed into a shimmering card that appeared out of nowhere. The card dropped to the grass,
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314 and Nadeshiko picked it up. As she did, Sonomi heard Teddy mutter to himself,
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315
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rlm@0
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316 “They won’t all be this easy.”
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317
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318 IV.
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319
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320 For punishment, the cousins were confined to their room for the weekend. It wasn’t much of a
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321 punishment, as the pair chatted and played the days away as if at a slumber party. After a long,
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322 soaking bath, Nadeshiko looked as good as new, save for a few scratches and a bruised shoulder.
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rlm@0
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323 Reassured, Sonomi offered to comb out her tangled hair. Nadeshiko sat on the futon, facing away
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324 from Sonomi who sat cross-legged behind her. It was difficult work, with many a tug and pull,
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325 despite her gentle care. Through it all, Nadeshiko was silent, without so much as a whimper.
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326 Working a particularly stubborn mat with her fingers, the auburn-haired girl said,
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327
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rlm@0
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328 “Nadeshiko-chan, your hair is so fine and so long, this is almost impossible. Please don’t ever,
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329 ever do that again.”
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330
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rlm@0
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331 “Do what again, Sonomi-chan?” the girl asked.
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332
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333 Sonomi considered her answer carefully. She knew she wanted Nadeshiko to give up this crazy card
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334 capturing. Never had she been so frightened as yesterday. But even if she wanted to control
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335 Nadeshiko, she just couldn’t. It would be like caging a beautiful bird. You could make her safe
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336 by taking away her freedom, but you couldn’t make her happy. And nothing meant more to
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337 Sonomi-chan than her cousin’s happiness. With a reluctant little sigh, she replied softly,
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338
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339 “Don’t go running into the woods with your hair all loose. Let me put it up into braids or
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340 something.”
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341
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rlm@0
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342 “I’d like that, Sonomi-chan. I love when you do my hair.” The girl snuggled comfortably against
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343 Sonomi’s legs as they sat on the futon. Sonomi found herself blushing as she added,
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344
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rlm@0
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345 “And please don’t go after the cards without me. Please tell me before you go, because I want to
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346 be with you.”
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347
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rlm@0
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348 In her sweetly musical voice, the little Card Captor answered, “I’d like that. It’s nice to be
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349 with Sonomi-chan.”
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350
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rlm@0
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351 “Promise?” Sonomi asked.
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352
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rlm@0
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353 “Hai, I promise.” The lilting voice replied.
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354
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355 Sonomi placed the comb and brush down and hugged her cousin, laying against her back, closing
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356 her eyes and nestling her cheek in the girl’s sparkling, silvery hair. Still as a fawn in a
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rlm@0
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357 moonlit clearing, Nadeshiko whispered,
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358
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rlm@0
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359 “I love you, Sonomi-chan.”
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360
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rlm@0
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361 Sonomi caught her breath and opened her eyes. Trembling, her heart racing, she hugged the
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362 slender form fiercely and closed her eyes. She was ecstatic, relieved, and uncertain. At long
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363 last, she could cry.
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364
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365
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366
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367
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368
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369
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370
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371
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372
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373
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374
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375
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376
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