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1
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2 Cardcaptor Nadeshiko
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3 Across the Distance
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4 by Amazoness Duo
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5
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6
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7
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8 “Mama?” the young girl asked from her perch near the top of the stairs.
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9 She watched the older woman through the rail of the stairs, looking like a young
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10 prisoner through the bars. The auburn haired girl crouched on the steps in her frilled green nightgown.
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11 “Hmm? Yes, Sonomi, darling?” The older woman turned her attention to
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12 the little girl on the stairs, a small smile spreading across her lips. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?
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13 Sonomi nodded slowly, as if not wanting to concede defeat just yet. Holding onto the railing, she tried to work out the jumble of thoughts that had
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14 led her out of her room, slowly piecing them into words. She couldn’t even quite
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15 tell what she wanted to ask, only that something had drawn her here as her
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16 thoughts had kept her tossing and turning. “I couldn’t sleep,” she said at last,
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17 resting her forehead against the rail of the stairwell. She knew it was late. And
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18 she wasn’t prone to disobeying her mother. But something had kept her from
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19 drifting off into sleep, thoughts and feelings that she found difficult to
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20 understand. At the forefront of all of them was a shimmer of liquid silver hair, and
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21 a beautiful, pale girl’s smile. A sigh escaped her lips as the curious feelings
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22 resurfaced. They weren’t anything new. Far from it, in fact. She had been dealing
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23 with them for quite some time. But the thought of spending another night lying in
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24 bed alone and confused didn’t appeal to her at all
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25 The mother watched her child for a long moment, Sonomi’s normally
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26 bright stormy blue eyes looking clouded over, the girl lost in her thoughts.
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27 “What’s wrong, Sonomi-chan?” she asked curiously. She knew her daughter was
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28 a very emotional girl, getting carried away with her emotions wherever they
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29 drifted. In many ways, Sonomi was much more sensitive than her cousin.
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30 Nadeshiko was a very sweet, loving girl who spent her time marvelling at the
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31 wonders the world offered. Sonomi, on the other hand, was very emotional.
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32 When she was sad, she was very sad. When she was happy, she was ecstatic.
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33 She rode every emotion to its fullest. And when she couldn’t understand her
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34 feelings, it often frustrated the poor girl. It looked like now was one of those
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35 times.
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36 Sonomi considered the question, looking down at her small bare feet as
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37 she rubbed them together. A yawn overtook her before she could bite it back for
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38 worry that her mother would send her back to bed. She really was tired. But sleep
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39 kept eluding her. “Mama, when did you and papa fall in love?” the auburn haired
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40 girl asked, looking down to see her mother. She couldn’t quite tell why the
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41 question was so important, only that it was.
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42 Pausing for a moment, Sonomi’s mother thought over the question.
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43 “Hmm... Well, we met in college. We got married some time after that.” Setting
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44 down the book she had been reading, she walked to the foot of the stairs,
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45 looking up them towards her sleepy daughter. Sonomi didn’t look satisfied with
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46 her answer.
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47 The young heiress shook her head, auburn hair fluttering about her face
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48 in its odd slant hairstyle. “No, not that. When did you know you were in love,
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49 mama?” Sonomi asked, a tinge of desperation in her voice. She wanted to know.
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50 But still, college felt so far away. And she didn’t feel like love was that far off. At
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51 least that meant that she wouldn’t have to worry about Nadeshiko marrying
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52 anytime soon. That thought was soothing, at any rate. The thought of
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53 Nadeshiko getting married made her heart scream in protest. She knew she
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54 wanted her little cousin to be happy, to be loved, but she couldn’t stand the
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55 thought of someone taking her best friend away from her. She could make
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56 Nadeshiko happy. Nadeshiko didn’t need some man to stealing her off
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57 somewhere. Like some princess being stolen away by the talons of some dragon,
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58 she could see a wedding dress clad Nadeshiko being pulled back from her by a
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59 man in a tuxedo. Her mind placed a face on the smilingly evil groom. Assistant
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60 teacher Fujitaka Kinomoto smiled pleasantly as he whisked Nadeshiko away from
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61 her, leaving Sonomi all alone. Shaking her head quickly, Sonomi tried to banish
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62 the thought. She had been too concerned lately with how the assistant teacher
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63 had been spending so much time with her cousin. She hadn’t trusted him even
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64 when they first met because he had hurt Nadeshiko, and she wasn’t about to
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65 start trusting him now. Maybe he could see the wonders that Nadeshiko had
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66 inside of her, but that was exactly why Sonomi would protect her best friend from
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67 people like him.
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68 Biting her lip, Sonomi’s mother ascended the stairs. This was more
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69 difficult than she had suspected. Her daughter was obviously curious about this
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70 sort of thing, but she didn’t know whether or not she should answer with a
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71 fairytale. Sonomi could be rather mature, mostly stemming from her concern for
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72 her younger cousin, but she also had a rather romantic, dreamy side that
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73 manifested in her room and her love of cute things, her cousin included. Dolls
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74 and stuffed animals, ribbons and lace adorned the young Sonomi Amamiya’s
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75 room. But she couldn’t hide her daughter from the world forever. Life was not a
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76 fairy tale. Things didn’t always have happy endings. It was with these shadowed
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77 thoughts that she sat next to her daughter on the stairs, her hands folded primly
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78 in her lap. Licking her lips, the older woman tried to decide how to begin. Her
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79 daughter watched her hopefully, expectantly. “You don’t always get married because you’re in love, Sonomi-chan. There are many other aspects involved in
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80 it. Social standing. The good of your family. What type of future you can have
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81 with this person.”
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82 “But what about love?” Sonomi asked. She felt even more confused
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83 than ever. Wasn’t it all about love? Wasn’t that the most important thing? But
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84 then, hadn’t she been raised with the thought that she would one day wed and
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85 continue the family? The sudden thought that she was expected to wed for the
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86 family, for her station as opposed to because she was in love seemed like a cold
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87 air of reality blowing over her. She shivered under her nightgown. In some ways,
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88 it was what she had always expected. The thought of marriage had never excited
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89 Sonomi the way it did many of the girls she knew. It seemed like something she
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90 knew she would have to do one day, not something she wanted. Now she
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91 realized that it was exactly that, not a matter of the heart at all. That frightened
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92 her.
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93 “Love is like a fairytale, Sonomi-chan. It’s fun to lose yourself in it, but
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94 in the end you have to come back to reality. Love is a fun distraction. But you
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95 have to plan for other things, to decide what’s best for you and your family. And
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96 your heart can’t tell you this,” Sonomi’s mother explained gently, hugging her
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97 small daughter against her side. Lithe fingers brushed through her daughter’s
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98 hair, trying to sort through the odd hair cut. Sighing, she shook her head. It was
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99 best to get away from such a lonely topic. “So why are you suddenly so curious,
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100 Sonomi-chan? You’ll meet a handsome boy to marry one of these days.
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101 Sonomi frowned, shaking her head, her hair fluttering between her
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102 mother’s fingers. “I don’t like boys. They’re stupid.” The younger girl crossed
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103 her arms, her stormy blue eyes narrowed. No, she wasn’t the biggest fan of the
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104 opposite sex. There was just something she didn’t like about them. Especially
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105 one in particular. His glasses glinted in her mind for a moment. She forced it out
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106 immediately.
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107 Sonomi’s mother laughed at her daughter’s words, glad to be off the
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108 topic. “Of course you like boys. All girls like boys, Sonomi-chan. Maybe you
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109 don’t now, but you will in a few years, trust me.” She found it amusing to see her
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110 daughter so intent. She would have to remember to point this out to the younger
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111 girl in a few years when she finally changed her mind.
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112 Shaking her head, Sonomi looked up at her mother, the older woman’s
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113 fingers still in her auburn hair. “I couldn’t like someone who didn’t like pink at
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114 least a little bit,” the young heiress explained.
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115 Laughing again, the mother grinned. “Sonomi-chan, you get such silly
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116 ideas. I’m know you’ll find a nice boy one of these days who will make you
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117 forget all of this nonsense.”
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118 Resting her head against her mother, Sonomi yawned tiredly. Her mind
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119 was made up. She wouldn’t let any of those insects near her beloved Nadeshiko.
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120 She wouldn’t let any of them take her way, or marry her. She would protect her
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121 little cousin from them all. They would be happy. She would make Nadeshiko
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122 happy. Somehow. She knew that Nadeshiko made her happy. If she didn’t need
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123 to be in love to get married, then she didn’t need to worry about getting married.
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124 And she wouldn’t let anyone marry her Nadeshiko. No one would take her away.
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125 No one would hurt her. In her fading mind, she saw a sparkling image of her
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126 silver haired angel. Her heart soared at the thought, warm and overflowing.
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127 ‘Nadeshiko-chan...’ she thought resolutely. The small auburn haired girl fell
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128 asleep against her mother on the stairs shortly thereafter.
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129
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130 Light. The first thing that existed was the light. It was white and cold,
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131 like freshly fallen snow. It encompassed him, pulsing with him. The pulsing was
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132 silent, but it was there, a slow rise and fall throughout the brightness. Slowly, the
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133 brightness grew. His eyes burned, but he couldn’t shut them, for he still had no
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134 eyes. He had no form, only the light. Thoughts spun incoherently like a spider
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135 spinning its web, thoughts going in every direction and none at all.
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136 ‘WhyamIwhoamIwhereamIwhenamI?
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137 Am I?
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138 Yes, you are, aren’t you?
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139 Please help me. I don’t know where I am.
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140 You aren’t anywhere.
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141 Who am I?
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142 You are the moonlight.
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143 Please, I’m scared...
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144 So am I.’
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145 His mind was the first thing to coalesce, but it was confused and lost.
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146 He searched desperately for answers within himself, within the light. It took him a
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147 moment to realize that he was the light. He struggled with this newfound
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148 knowledge, searching out bits and pieces, working through the jumble of chaotic
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149 thoughts to paint a picture of just what was going on. His body slowly began to
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150 form as his mind worked its way back from the brink. He was. He knew that now.
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151 He existed. That was reassuring, somehow. It was nice to know that he hadn’t
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152 simply tricked himself into believing he existed. After all, he thought, so
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153 therefore, he was. At least, he thought that he could think. The idea confused
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154 him further. In frustration, he discarded the notion. He knew he could spend
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155 eternity arguing with himself, as he had done just moments before. But had that
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156 argument been an eternity or a split second? Or had it even happened? He
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157 couldn’t remember. He could remember the light. The light was everywhere. The
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158 light was outside of him and within him. Within him? Yes, that was right, wasn’t
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159 it. He slowly curled his fingers, the bright snowy moonlight shifting through
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160 them. He could feel his legs drifting underneath him, not touching any form of
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161 solid ground. Long, feathered wings were outstretched behind him, glowing with
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162 their own inner light.
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163 He looked down to see himself, to try to understand what he was, but
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164 he could only see the blinding moonlight. He expected the brightness to carry
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165 some form of heat with it, but it was surprisingly cold. It was the light of the full
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166 moon. He moved experimentally, glad to know that his limbs were once again
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167 attached. Once again? Had he been there before? Had he been himself before?
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168 Yes, something of the sort. He was returning. He was being called back. He was...
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169 being reawakened. Yes, something was calling him. He was waking up from a
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170 deep slumber, brought back to fulfil the goals of his master. What goals? He
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171 asked. But there was no answer. He frowned in the light that bathed him, still
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172 trying to piece his inexplicable life together. So he was supposed to be here for
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173 some reason. But what was the reason?
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174 Slowly, memories returned to him. He waited centuries to recall
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175 everything, reliving every moment of his previous existence. It all happened i
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176 the blink of an eye, his life returned in a split second. And in this split infinity, he
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177 knew who he was. He knew what he was. He knew why he was. And a cold smile
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178 crossed his lips. Yes, it had all returned. He knew everything now. He woul
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179 accomplish his mission for his master. All would go according to plan. Except...
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180 Things hadn’t gone according to plan, had they? The girl wasn’t the one he was
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181 supposed to judge. Something had gone wrong. Horribly wrong. What had
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182 become of his master’s plan? No matter. He would quickly remedy the situation.
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183 That was what he existed for. Soon, she would be forgotten and the master could
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184 pretend this little fiasco never happened. They would go about with the plan
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185 again afterwards, this time without the little problem that had popped up. He
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186 would erase it from the pages of history. A cold grin spread over him. It was nice
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187 to be of use again.
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188 And with all the suddenness of a spring storm, everything was robbed
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189 from him. His precious memory, his very existence was denied him. In another
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190 second that lasted for all time, he felt his memories being extinguished, pulled
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191 away from him with reckless abandon. He screamed into the night as all that he
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192 was faded from him. “No!” he called out wordlessly. “Don’t take it away from me
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193 Not again!” But he knew there was nothing he could do. Even the reason behind
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194 his anger and fear disappeared. But the anger and fear remained, even as the
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195 words unraveled in his mind.
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196 Again, he was nothing. His mind faded, thoughts disappearing into the
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197 void. There was nothing. The blinding moonlight disappeared. Darknes
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198 converged around him, consuming him. And all was dark
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199
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200 “Mmm...” Sonomi stretched, trying to make sure her form was in top
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201 shape. She was all alone on the track field at the school, but she didn’t mind. Sh
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202 was still thinking about what her mother had said the night before. It had staye
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203 with her throughout the day, making it difficult for her to concentrate during her
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204 classes. So she didn’t mind having some solitude for the moment. And the best
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205 way to do that was to get in some practice with her running. That was always a
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206 good way to get her focus on other things. You couldn’t get distracted while
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207 running. The only thing that mattered was how fast you could go. It was always
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208 so refreshing. It was as if she could run away from all that was bothering her,
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209 leaving it far behind as she outdistanced it. It felt wonderful, free
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210 The young heiress was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the
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211 sound of approaching footsteps. She was far too busy to bother with such
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212 things. Her mind was focused on the task at hand, everything else seeming hazy,
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213 distant. Getting into position, Sonomi felt the track beneath her fingers, waiting in
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214 a crouch at the starting line. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she anticipated
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215 an imaginary signal. Everything around her narrowed, fading away. The only
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216 thing that existed in this half world was the track and the wind. She had to be
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217 focused intently on the situation, ready to start at a moment’s notice. And. That
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218 Was. Now!
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219 Like a shot, she was off, throwing herself forward. Every muscle in her
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220 body worked towards one common goal, to send her hurtling forward to the
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221 finish line. Her speed was incredible, the ten year old girl darting across the field
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222 in a blur. Her mind didn’t have time for anything else, no time for concerns or
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223 distractions. There was still the thrill of pulling ahead, of being the fastest. Of
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224 being the first to reach the goal. She was almost there. It was always over so
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225 quickly, but while she was racing it felt like a lifetime had passed. And with that,
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226 she had passed it.
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227 Catching her breath, the brunette slowed to a halt, her hands on her
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228 thighs as she slumped over, catching her breath. The world slowly sprang back
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229 into existence, as if it had merely been put on pause. Sounds filtered back to her,
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230 sights slowly coming into focus. A sharp sound caught her ear, making her spin
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231 around despite being out of breath. To her surprise, the assistant teacher,
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232 Fujitaka Kinomoto, was clapping, his usual smile on his face. Sonomi stood up
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233 quickly, trying to breath normally as she crossed her arms. She had no idea what
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234 he was doing there, but she instantly didn’t trust him. Why wasn’t he busy
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235 trying to steal away her Nadeshiko? Wasn’t that his hobby, after all? Well, she
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236 had to admit that it was better that he was there than with Nadeshiko. Though
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237 not by much.
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238 “Nadeshiko-chan told me you were fast, Amamiya-san. I had no idea
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239 how fast. I’m impressed,” the older man said, smiling pleasantly. The young girl
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rlm@0
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240 continued to stare at him, but he only smiled in response.
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rlm@0
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241 Smoothing down her gym uniform, Sonomi didn’t take her eyes off of
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rlm@0
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242 the assistant teacher, almost afraid that he would run off to find Nadeshiko if she
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rlm@0
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243 let down her guard. She nodded simply, her breathing slowly returning to normal.
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rlm@0
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244 “Hai. Nadeshiko-chan watches most of my races. I never lose. She says I’m like
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rlm@0
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245 the wind,” Sonomi said proudly. If Nadeshiko believed in her, then she knew
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rlm@0
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246 that she could do anything. With Nadeshiko’s belief, how could she fail?
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rlm@0
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247 “Is that so?” Fujitaka asked curiously, still smiling. “She’s such a sweet
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rlm@0
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248 little girl, isn’t she?”
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rlm@0
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249 Sonomi frowned, flustered by his comment. Of course she was a sweet
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rlm@0
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250 little girl. But she was Sonomi’s best friend. And the auburn haired girl wasn’t
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rlm@0
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251 about to give her up to some... some insect. He was beneath Nadeshiko. She
|
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rlm@0
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252 wouldn’t let him or anyone have her precious silver haired angel.
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rlm@0
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253 “Nadeshiko-chan is the sweetest, cutest, most beautiful girl there is. There’s no
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rlm@0
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254 one out there like her. She’s perfect. She has the prettiest voice and she’s always
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rlm@0
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255 so bright and happy and her eyes sparkle when she looks at you.” Sonomi took a
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rlm@0
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256 deep breath, trying to suppress the stirrings in her heart. But she always felt this
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rlm@0
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257 way when she started thinking about Nadeshiko. She couldn’t help but notice
|
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rlm@0
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258 how perfect her little cousin was. It was so blatantly obvious. She saw it all every
|
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rlm@0
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259 single day that they were together. She took a shuddering breath, closing her
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rlm@0
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260 eyes for a moment. When she opened her eyes, she had her composure back.
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rlm@0
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261 She couldn’t go off on a Nadeshiko tangent right now. She had to keep an eye
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rlm@0
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262 on the assistant teacher. Even if one was much, much more enjoyable than the
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rlm@0
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263 other.
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rlm@0
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264 “You seem to think very highly of her. You’re lucky to have a cousin
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rlm@0
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265 like her.” Fujitaka smiled, pushing up his glasses. “You’re right. She really is like
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rlm@0
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266 an angel. I almost wouldn’t be surprised if she turned out to be one.” The young
|
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rlm@0
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267 man had been more and more pleased to have met his young student. She was
|
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rlm@0
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268 incredibly odd, but he found her fascinating. And apparently, her cousin thought
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rlm@0
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269 so as well. They could both see that Nadeshiko was somehow special.
|
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rlm@0
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270 “She is. She just only shows her wings to me,” Sonomi replied. She felt
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rlm@0
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271 jealous that he would speak of her Nadeshiko that way. She had always been the
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rlm@0
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272 one to worship Nadeshiko like an angel. She was always the one to dwell on how
|
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rlm@0
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273 amazingly perfect Nadeshiko was. Now this man who had hurt Nadeshiko had
|
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rlm@0
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274 the gall to think the same thing. She just wanted him to stay away from her little
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rlm@0
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275 cousin. Nadeshiko was already accident-prone enough. Sonomi had to keep her
|
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rlm@0
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276 away from trouble. And she definitely considered him to be trouble.
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rlm@0
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277 Fujitaka laughed at Sonomi’s comment, nodding. “That must be very
|
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rlm@0
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278 sweet of her, then. I bet they’re very pretty. But I don’t think Nadeshiko-chan is
|
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rlm@0
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279 the type to keep things like that to herself. I think she would want to share, to
|
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rlm@0
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280 show her wings to others as well. Don’t you think?”
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rlm@0
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281 Clenching her fists, Sonomi could only stare at the assistant teacher for
|
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rlm@0
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282 a long moment. His question sent a tremor of anger surging through her heart.
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rlm@0
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283 She knew Nadeshiko better than anyone else. How could he insinuate that he
|
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rlm@0
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284 knew her better? Yet she couldn’t bring herself to agree. Yes, Nadeshiko would
|
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rlm@0
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285 probably want to share that. But Sonomi silently wished she wouldn’t. Why
|
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rlm@0
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286 wasn’t she enough for Nadeshiko? Why wasn’t it enough that she was there for
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rlm@0
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287 her? She was lucky enough that no one believed Nadeshiko when she told them
|
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rlm@0
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288 she had magic, believing it to be just a daydream of the perpetually dreamy girl.
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rlm@0
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289 Sonomi was glad that she was the only one who knew, but she wished it could
|
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rlm@0
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290 just be their secret, that Nadeshiko would be happy enough with only her auburn
|
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rlm@0
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291 haired cousin knowing. Fujitaka correcting her didn’t help matters. She could feel
|
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rlm@0
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292 her nails biting into the skin of her palms as she tried futilely to respond. She
|
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rlm@0
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293 didn’t want to agree with him, though she knew Nadeshiko well enough to know
|
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rlm@0
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294 that he was right.
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rlm@0
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295 Before she could answer, he continued, as if it wasn’t necessary for her
|
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rlm@0
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296 to reply. “Would you like to race, Amamiya-san? I heard you beat the quickest
|
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rlm@0
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297 on the boys’ team. You must make some very good competition.”
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rlm@0
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298 Without quite realizing it, Sonomi nodded. Yes, that was right. A race.
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rlm@0
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299 That would make this much better. She could finally beat him at something. She
|
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rlm@0
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300 could finally prove that he wasn’t better at her, that she was all Nadeshiko
|
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rlm@0
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301 needed. That sounded perfect. “Hai,” she replied. Bowing to him, she took her
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rlm@0
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302 place at the starting line. She would never let him near her Nadeshiko. She was a
|
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rlm@0
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303 delicate flower, and Sonomi would protect its blossoms with her all. Nadeshiko
|
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rlm@0
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304 was not something for this arrogant man to have, to ponder. She was a mystery
|
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rlm@0
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305 that Sonomi was slowly uncovering. She wouldn’t let him take her away.
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rlm@0
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306 Nadeshiko was her best friend, her cousin, her most precious treasure. She
|
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rlm@0
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307 wouldn’t let him or anyone else interfere.
|
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rlm@0
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308 “All right. On three,” Fujitaka stated, slowly taking his place. He smiled
|
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rlm@0
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309 over at the younger girl, his glasses glinting. She simply looked straight forward,
|
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rlm@0
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310 waiting. He could tell she was ready to give her all. It would be an interesting
|
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rlm@0
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311 race. Smiling, he looked forward himself.
|
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rlm@0
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312 “One.” The two prepared for the inevitable race awaiting them. “Two.”
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rlm@0
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313 Sonomi’s heart pounded in her chest as she waited anxiously for their duel to
|
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rlm@0
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314 begin. “Three.” And they were both off.
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rlm@0
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315 Never before had Sonomi forced herself to go as fast as she did. Every
|
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rlm@0
|
316 ounce of her being burned, pushing every forward. The only thing in her mind
|
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rlm@0
|
317 was the goal. She had to reach the goal. It was waiting for her. Nadeshiko was
|
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rlm@0
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318 waiting for her. She had to show that he wasn’t better than her at everything. She
|
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rlm@0
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319 had to reach it. She had to be the fastest. Her vision was nonexistent with the
|
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rlm@0
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320 single exception of the thin strip signifying the finish line. The assistant teacher
|
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rlm@0
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321 and the young track star were both propelled by awesome forces towards their
|
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rlm@0
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322 objective. It might as well have been Nadeshiko waiting for them rather than the
|
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rlm@0
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323 finish line, intense passions stirring to push the two ever faster.
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rlm@0
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324 To Sonomi’s astonishment, she still hadn’t pulled ahead of Fujitaka. By
|
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rlm@0
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325 now in most races, she had pulled far ahead of the pack. But she was still side by
|
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rlm@0
|
326 side with him. Her heart pounded feriously, her body trying to force itself to go
|
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rlm@0
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327 even faster. But it was giving all it had. She was pushing herself as fast as she
|
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rlm@0
|
328 could go. She kept towards the goal, trying to will herself to reach it first. Her
|
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rlm@0
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329 whole being tried to grip onto it, tried to give her that last bit of energy.
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rlm@0
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330 Somehow, she found it. With a trill in her heart, as sweet as Nadeshiko’s
|
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rlm@0
|
331 singsong voice, Sonomi managed to speed up, throwing her last bit into the final
|
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rlm@0
|
332 seconds of the race. It was all she had, every last ounce of energy inside of her.
|
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rlm@0
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333 But she had to win. For Nadeshiko-chan.
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rlm@0
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334 To Sonomi’s horror, Fujitaka began to pull ahead, moving past her.
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rlm@0
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335 Even with her last burst of strength, it wasn’t enough. It was like some cruel joke,
|
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rlm@0
|
336 her final boost pushing her across the finish line right after him. The world
|
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rlm@0
|
337 refused to come back to her this time, her weary body slowly collapsing to her
|
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rlm@0
|
338 knees. The world around her continued to stay a blurry, surreal nightmare,
|
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rlm@0
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339 nothing else appearing. But she didn’t care. Nothing else mattered. She had lost.
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rlm@0
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340 It didn’t matter who you were when you raced. It only mattered that you were the
|
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rlm@0
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341 fastest. And Sonomi Amamiya, a girl who had long been the fastest, no longer
|
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rlm@0
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342 was. The dirt beneath her irritated her legs, but it didn’t seem to matter. She
|
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rlm@0
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343 couldn’t get the strength to get back up.
|
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rlm@0
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344 “That was a good race, Amamiya-san. You did a great job,” Fujitaka
|
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rlm@0
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345 complimented, smiling to the younger girl as he caught his breath. She didn’t
|
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rlm@0
|
346 meet his eye. In fact, she didn’t even seem to see him. He watched her for a
|
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rlm@0
|
347 moment, before stepping back towards the classrooms. “I’ll tell Nadeshiko-chan
|
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rlm@0
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348 you’re out here if I see her, Amamiya-san,” he called back over his shoulder, still
|
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rlm@0
|
349 smiling. He felt much better now that he’d been able to get some exercise. Now
|
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rlm@0
|
350 back to grading tests!
|
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rlm@0
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351 Sonomi didn’t hear him. She was too distraught, too broken by her loss.
|
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rlm@0
|
352 How could she have lost to him? How could he have beaten her? She had tried
|
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rlm@0
|
353 so hard! But even then, it wasn’t enough. She hadn’t been able to win, after all.
|
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rlm@0
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354 She had always been the fastest, but it hadn’t meant anything against him.
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rlm@0
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355 Balling up her fists, she hit them again and again into the dirt until her knuckles
|
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rlm@0
|
356 cried out in pain. Angry, bitter tears fell into the dust bellow, falling onto her
|
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rlm@0
|
357 hands. She’d wanted so badly to beat him, to show that he wasn’t better than her
|
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rlm@0
|
358 at everything. To show that she could take care of Nadeshiko. She had been
|
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rlm@0
|
359 racing for Nadeshiko, to win for her. To beat him for her sake. Even if it hadn’t
|
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rlm@0
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360 been stated, she had been the reason they were racing, the rivalry behind it. And
|
|
rlm@0
|
361 she had failed.
|
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rlm@0
|
362 “Nadeshiko-chan..” Sonomi got out in a pained sob. Her dirty hands
|
|
rlm@0
|
363 came up to her face, smearing some along her cheeks as she rubbed angrily at her
|
|
rlm@0
|
364 tears. It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t right! She should have won! Nothing ever worked
|
|
rlm@0
|
365 with him. He was slowly trying to take her Nadeshiko away. And then she would
|
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rlm@0
|
366 be all alone, without the most important thing in her life. And she’d just failed to
|
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rlm@0
|
367 beat him at the one thing that she was the best at. What good was she if she
|
|
rlm@0
|
368 couldn’t even do that? How could she possibly hope to protect Nadeshiko-chan
|
|
rlm@0
|
369 that way? She had always been the fastest. And he had taken that away from her.
|
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rlm@0
|
370 Would Nadeshiko be next? A cold chill settled throughout her battered soul,
|
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rlm@0
|
371 weighing her down like a heavy cloak.
|
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rlm@0
|
372 “Sonomi-chan~!” Nadeshiko called, wandering about slowly, her eyes
|
|
rlm@0
|
373 following every trace of springtime beauty that she happened to cross. Her lazy
|
|
rlm@0
|
374 beeline eventually took her towards the field where Sonomi practiced track. Just
|
|
rlm@0
|
375 where Fujitaka had told her that her cousin was waiting. She giggled to herself as
|
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rlm@0
|
376 she watched some ants scurrying about a few bread crumbs. “Busy, busy, busy.
|
|
rlm@0
|
377 You should have some fun, sometimes, too,” she suggested before moving on.
|
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rlm@0
|
378 She finally caught sight of her auburn haired friend sitting in the field, collapsed
|
|
rlm@0
|
379 in the dirt. Nadeshiko tilted her head to the side, dark hair spilling across her
|
|
rlm@0
|
380 shoulder. “Sonomi-chan! Hi, Sonomi-chan! Guess what? I just found this really
|
|
rlm@0
|
381 cute..” Nadeshiko trailed off, her smile replaced with a curious look.
|
|
rlm@0
|
382 “Sonomi-chan?” Was Sonomi crying? Had something happened to her?
|
|
rlm@0
|
383 “Sonomi-chan?” she asked again, closing the distance between them.
|
|
rlm@0
|
384 The auburn haired girl looked up quickly, wiping at her eyes quickly,
|
|
rlm@0
|
385 struggling to see through her tear blurred vision. She could see a pale angel
|
|
rlm@0
|
386 growing ever closer, a curious, worried look on her face. “Nadeshiko-chan..”
|
|
rlm@0
|
387 Sonomi got out, wiping more desperately at her eyes. She couldn’t let Nadeshiko
|
|
rlm@0
|
388 see her like this. How could she explain it? What could she say? Pushing herself
|
|
rlm@0
|
389 to her feet on pained muscles, Sonomi hurried away from her oncoming cousin,
|
|
rlm@0
|
390 trying to escape the pain and her tears. She had to get away. To think. To cry.
|
|
rlm@0
|
391 “Sonomi-chan?” Nadeshiko asked to her cousin’s retreating form. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
392 came to a halt where Sonomi had been, watching after her as the other girl ran off.
|
|
rlm@0
|
393 What had happened? What had hurt her cousin so terribly? Kneeling down,
|
|
rlm@0
|
394 Nadeshiko ran her fingertip through the teardrops in the dirt. “Poor
|
|
rlm@0
|
395 Sonomi-chan.. Please don’t cry,” she whispered. Nadeshiko sat in the dirt, her
|
|
rlm@0
|
396 skirt spread out around her. She looked at her dirty, tear streaked finger. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
397 image of Sonomi, hunched over and in tears played through her mind. Sonomi
|
|
rlm@0
|
398 had always been her best friend. It made her feel terrible to see her cousin in
|
|
rlm@0
|
399 tears. And she didn’t know what to do about it. She couldn’t even find Sonomi
|
|
rlm@0
|
400 to make her feel better. Sniffling, Nadeshiko began to cry.
|
|
rlm@0
|
401
|
|
rlm@0
|
402 “Damn it!” Sonomi punched the locker, her injured knuckles burning at
|
|
rlm@0
|
403 the contact. Her head slumped against the locker with an audible ‘clang’. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
404 slowly turned around, sliding down the locker. Her legs hurt too much to keep
|
|
rlm@0
|
405 standing. Her heart hurt too much to think. She just wanted to sit there until it all
|
|
rlm@0
|
406 went away. But she knew she couldn’t do that. She had to fight. She had to do
|
|
rlm@0
|
407 something. She had to do anything. But she couldn’t figure out what. Rubbing at
|
|
rlm@0
|
408 her eyes with her palms, she let out a wet sob. She hated him. She hated him for
|
|
rlm@0
|
409 ever meeting Nadeshiko, for ever hitting her in the head with the softball. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
410 hated him for coming to the school, becoming a part of Nadeshiko’s life. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
411 hated him for pulling Nadeshiko away during her race with Terrada. She hated
|
|
rlm@0
|
412 him for beating her at what she was best at. She hated him for trying to take
|
|
rlm@0
|
413 Nadeshiko away. Even if she knew that was silly, that she shouldn’t believe such
|
|
rlm@0
|
414 a stupid thing, she couldn’t help it. It felt like he was trying to take her place with
|
|
rlm@0
|
415 Nadeshiko. And even though he had hurt Nadeshiko, the angelic silver haired
|
|
rlm@0
|
416 girl didn’t mind at all. She was happy to be his friend. And that frightened
|
|
rlm@0
|
417 Sonomi. She wanted to protect Nadeshiko, but she didn’t always know how. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
418 wanted to keep those boys from hurting her, from snagging her away. But now
|
|
rlm@0
|
419 she didn’t even know if she could.
|
|
rlm@0
|
420 “Owww..” Sonomi winced as she got to her feet, her hand resting
|
|
rlm@0
|
421 against the cold metal of her locker. With slow, lifeless fingers, she began to
|
|
rlm@0
|
422 open it. She had to get dressed, to change clothes. She would need to be ready
|
|
rlm@0
|
423 to go home. But for the most part, she simply wanted a distraction. What could
|
|
rlm@0
|
424 she say to Nadeshiko? What was she supposed to do about Fujitaka? None of it
|
|
rlm@0
|
425 had any easy answers. Right now, she just wanted to curl up in bed and cry
|
|
rlm@0
|
426 herself to sleep. For once she was glad that Nadeshiko didn’t live at her house.
|
|
rlm@0
|
427 Nadeshiko would certainly want to talk to her, and she didn’t know if she could
|
|
rlm@0
|
428 face the other girl at the moment. She couldn’t even face herself. She felt
|
|
rlm@0
|
429 miserable, a failure. And it was all his fault.
|
|
rlm@0
|
430 Something caught Sonomi’s eye from the back of the locker, glittering
|
|
rlm@0
|
431 faintly in the sterile light of the locker room. Reaching in, the young heiress
|
|
rlm@0
|
432 pulled out a small pendant shaped like a sword. “What’s this supposed to be?
|
|
rlm@0
|
433 Did Nadeshiko-chan put it in here?” Sighing, Sonomi held it in her hand. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
434 would have to talk to Nadeshiko, wouldn’t she? Otherwise she would only make
|
|
rlm@0
|
435 Nadeshiko worry. And she couldn’t bear to hurt her dear cousin. Closing her
|
|
rlm@0
|
436 locker, she looked back down at the pendant. Yeah, she couldn’t leave her sweet
|
|
rlm@0
|
437 cousin waiting. But before she could take another step, the little broach came
|
|
rlm@0
|
438 alive, light splashing through the room.
|
|
rlm@0
|
439
|
|
rlm@0
|
440 Nadeshiko cried softly, shaking her head against the offers of
|
|
rlm@0
|
441 assistance, Her hands lay in her lap, her small shoulders shaking with each sob.
|
|
rlm@0
|
442 She didn’t know where Sonomi was or what was going on or even why she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
443 been crying. She kept seeing Sonomi crying in her mind, filling her own tears. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
444 was too sad for Sonomi to have to be crying.
|
|
rlm@0
|
445 “It’s all right, Nadeshiko-chan,” Fujitaka said soothingly, trying to
|
|
rlm@0
|
446 comfort his pupil. “Please, just tell me what’s wrong. I’ll help however I can.” But
|
|
rlm@0
|
447 try as he might, he couldn’t coax anything other than ‘Sonomi-chan’ out of the
|
|
rlm@0
|
448 pale girl. Whatever it was, she seemed to be taking it pretty hard. She hadn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
449 stopped crying since he had spotted her and he had no idea how long she had
|
|
rlm@0
|
450 been crying before that. Something glinted, catching his eye. “You see? She’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
451 right there. Your cousin is just fine,” he promised, smiling.
|
|
rlm@0
|
452 Nadeshiko wiped at her eyes quickly, breaking out into a relieved smile
|
|
rlm@0
|
453 when she saw Sonomi walking towards them. Getting to her feet, Nadeshiko
|
|
rlm@0
|
454 quickly ran towards her cousin, her arms open. “Sonomi-chan!” She felt much
|
|
rlm@0
|
455 better now. It was enough to see that Sonomi was no longer crying. She giggled
|
|
rlm@0
|
456 happily as she raced towards the auburn haired girl. But something was wrong.
|
|
rlm@0
|
457 She slowed as she approached Sonomi. The taller girl was holding onto some
|
|
rlm@0
|
458 type of sword, her eyes looking unfocused. Sonomi didn’t even seem to
|
|
rlm@0
|
459 recognize her. “Sonomi-chan?” Nadeshiko asked. Sonomi didn’t even look at her,
|
|
rlm@0
|
460 instead looking at Fujitaka as he approached. Now that confused Nadeshiko.
|
|
rlm@0
|
461 Sonomi always liked to look at her. She always got Sonomi’s full attention. So
|
|
rlm@0
|
462 why would she suddenly not have it? Something felt wrong about all this. It was
|
|
rlm@0
|
463 like Sonomi wasn’t Sonomi. But how could she not be Sonomi? Unless it was
|
|
rlm@0
|
464 someone using Sonomi.
|
|
rlm@0
|
465 “Are you all right, Amamiya-san? Your cousin was very worried about
|
|
rlm@0
|
466 you. She was crying about you. But it seems like everything’s fine now,” Fujitaka
|
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rlm@0
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467 stated, smiling to the two younger girls. He was glad that problem was over with.
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rlm@0
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468 He couldn’t stand to see the poor silver haired girl in tears. At least that problem
|
|
rlm@0
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469 was over. He felt so relieved.
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rlm@0
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470 Nadeshiko watched Sonomi for a moment. It finally fitted into place as
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rlm@0
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471 she watched the hand with the sword move. “Sonomi-chan!” Nadeshiko stepped
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rlm@0
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472 in front of Sonomi, but it was too late. Sonomi was faster than she was. The
|
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rlm@0
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473 auburn haired girl lunged forward, the sword tip glinting as it drove into
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rlm@0
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474 Fujitaka’s side. Crimson rain lit the sky for a split second, some of it landing on
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|
rlm@0
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475 Nadeshiko’s face while the rest spattered on the grass. For that long moment of
|
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rlm@0
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476 silence, Nadeshiko watched the red droplets, amazed at how beautiful the blood
|
|
rlm@0
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477 was, as if it were some of the paint left over from God’s paintbrush. It all felt
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rlm@0
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478 surreal. She could see herself next to Sonomi, the other girl’s eyes clouded over,
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|
rlm@0
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479 their normal depth missing. She could see the blood before her. She could see
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rlm@0
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480 Fujitaka with the tip of the sword in his side.
|
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rlm@0
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481 And everything started up again. “Sonomi-chan! Kinomoto-sensei!”
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rlm@0
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482 Nadeshiko called out, running to her teacher’s aid. The older man stumbled back.
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|
rlm@0
|
483 Luckily, the blow had only been the tip of the sword. He was bleeding, but he
|
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rlm@0
|
484 could still move. Sonomi was moving swiftly, like some jungle cat intent on it’s
|
|
rlm@0
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485 prey. She was circling, waiting for another chance.
|
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rlm@0
|
486 “Run, Nadeshiko-chan! You need to get out of here!” Fujitaka yelled,
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|
rlm@0
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487 his eyes never leaving his magically possessed student. He winced painfully as
|
|
rlm@0
|
488 he held his side. It hadn’t been deep, but it still hurt. He saw Sonomi coming
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rlm@0
|
489 closer again, sword raised. To his surprise, Nadeshiko once again got in the way.
|
|
rlm@0
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490 “Watch out!” Grabbing Nadeshiko, he yanked her out of the way. Sonomi used
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rlm@0
|
491 that moment to duck towards him, slashing again.
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rlm@0
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492 “Jump!” Nadeshiko called, her staff striking the Card. As Sonomi
|
|
rlm@0
|
493 slashed ever closer, she managed to jump back, pushing Fujitaka with her. She
|
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rlm@0
|
494 kept hopping backwards, out of Sonomi’s range. But he was heavy, and she
|
|
rlm@0
|
495 couldn’t keep it up for long. She waited near the fence, trying to catch her breath
|
|
rlm@0
|
496 Fujitaka watched in astonishment at the silver haired girl. What was
|
|
rlm@0
|
497 this? Magic? He had the sense not to ask about it. Now was definitely not the
|
|
rlm@0
|
498 time. Looking back up, he saw Sonomi once again barreling towards them. He
|
|
rlm@0
|
499 barely had time to throw himself into Nadeshiko, pushing her away as Sonomi
|
|
rlm@0
|
500 slashed through the fence. “Nadeshiko-chan, you have to get out of here. I’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
501 distract her.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
502 Nadeshiko shook her head quickly, squirming away from her teacher’s
|
|
rlm@0
|
503 grasp. “No! I can’t leave Sonomi-chan!” She smiled a faint smile, clutching her
|
|
rlm@0
|
504 staff tightly. “Don’t worry. She won’t hurt me. Sonomi-chan would never hurt
|
|
rlm@0
|
505 me.” Pushing away from Fujitaka, Nadeshiko ran towards her cousin.
|
|
rlm@0
|
506 “Nadeshiko-chan!” Fujitaka called out. He collapsed in pain, unable to
|
|
rlm@0
|
507 follow her. He watched, mortified as Nadeshiko raced towards her sword wielding
|
|
rlm@0
|
508 friend. He was helpless to stop her.
|
|
rlm@0
|
509 Sonomi watched as Nadeshiko came ever closer. She raised the sword,
|
|
rlm@0
|
510 still ready to attack. Her eyes focused past Nadeshiko, to the wounded man back
|
|
rlm@0
|
511 behind her. She ran towards the oncoming Cardcaptor, ducking to the side and
|
|
rlm@0
|
512 past Nadeshiko, still headed for Fujitaka.
|
|
rlm@0
|
513 Whirling around, Nadeshiko watched, stunned, as Sonomi kept right on
|
|
rlm@0
|
514 towards their teacher. She had expected Sonomi to stop before her. She could
|
|
rlm@0
|
515 only watch, unable to reach the other girl in time. “Sonomi-chan!” she yelled after
|
|
rlm@0
|
516 her, her voice pleading. She had to be able to reach Sonomi. Even if that sword
|
|
rlm@0
|
517 was using her cousin, Sonomi had to be in there somewhere. She just needed to
|
|
rlm@0
|
518 bring her out.
|
|
rlm@0
|
519 Sonomi stopped before Fujitaka, pulling the sword above her head to
|
|
rlm@0
|
520 swipe him in half. Fujitaka just watched her through his glasses, waiting. He
|
|
rlm@0
|
521 couldn’t move enough to get out of the way in time. He could only watch and
|
|
rlm@0
|
522 wait. With that, Sonomi brought the sword down towards him. He closed his
|
|
rlm@0
|
523 eyes as the blade fell, waiting for the pain to follow. But aside from the pain in his
|
|
rlm@0
|
524 side, he still seemed to be in one piece. A clang reverberated inches in front of
|
|
rlm@0
|
525 his face. Blinking, he found a traditional fan right in front of him, holding back
|
|
rlm@0
|
526 Sonomi’s blade. Barely. He forced himself to move, crawling away along the
|
|
rlm@0
|
527 fence. He had to get Nadeshiko so they could get out of there.
|
|
rlm@0
|
528 The girl who had blocked Sonomi’s strike watched her carefully, her fan
|
|
rlm@0
|
529 still pressed tightly against Sonomi’s. Leaping back, she landed on the grass, her
|
|
rlm@0
|
530 curious weapon still held at the ready. She wore a strange costume, looking
|
|
rlm@0
|
531 exotic amidst the two girls in their school uniforms. “Get out of here. I’ll handle
|
|
rlm@0
|
532 this,” she said to Nadeshiko, not bothering to look at the Cardcaptor. There were
|
|
rlm@0
|
533 more pressing matters.
|
|
rlm@0
|
534 Nadeshiko shook her head quickly. “No, I can’t! She’s my best friend!
|
|
rlm@0
|
535 She needs my help!” She didn’t know who the new girl was, but she could feel
|
|
rlm@0
|
536 very strong magic coming from her. Her attention went back to Sonomi. She was
|
|
rlm@0
|
537 worried that the new girl might hurt her if they fought for long. There had to be
|
|
rlm@0
|
538 something else she could do. Did this have something to do with why Sonomi
|
|
rlm@0
|
539 was crying earlier? Is that how the Clow Card found her? She wanted to help the
|
|
rlm@0
|
540 Card, too, but she was much more concerned about Sonomi. She didn’t want
|
|
rlm@0
|
541 anything bad to happen to her big cousin. Sonomi was always looking out for
|
|
rlm@0
|
542 her. The thought of the brunette getting hurt by all this was horrifying.
|
|
rlm@0
|
543 The new arrival tried to size up the situation. She was lucky enough to
|
|
rlm@0
|
544 have foreseen this. Her dream had told her bits and pieces of this. But she hadn’t
|
|
rlm@0
|
545 gotten there in time to stop it. She had been hoping to keep it from escalating to
|
|
rlm@0
|
546 this point. As it was, it didn’t seem like the Cardcaptor was keeping a very good
|
|
rlm@0
|
547 handle on things. At least she had gotten there in time to save the man. Now she
|
|
rlm@0
|
548 could put a stop to all this and go about her business. To her surprise, Sonomi
|
|
rlm@0
|
549 came charging at her. She managed to block the first blow, dodging the next.
|
|
rlm@0
|
550 Whoever the girl was that was possessed by the Sword, she had more than the
|
|
rlm@0
|
551 Sword’s expert fencing. She had quite a lot of strength and speed as well. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
552 moved beautifully, almost like a dancer. Each movement was fluid, graceful. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
553 was impressed. And despite her parries, she could feel each blow through her
|
|
rlm@0
|
554 fan. This girl obviously kept physically fit. If only she had studied up more on
|
|
rlm@0
|
555 her martial arts, this wouldn’t be such a problem. But then, she doubted even
|
|
rlm@0
|
556 that would have given her the physical prowess of the other girl. She would have
|
|
rlm@0
|
557 to settle for her magic. Which should be more than enough to handle the
|
|
rlm@0
|
558 situation. She blocked another blow, searching her mind for the proper spell to
|
|
rlm@0
|
559 bring this to an abrupt end. Another thrust ducked low, slipping near her hand.
|
|
rlm@0
|
560 With a flick of her wrist, Sonomi disarmed the young mage. The mage watched in
|
|
rlm@0
|
561 shock as her fan tumbled end over end, landing at her feet. All magic spells were
|
|
rlm@0
|
562 suddenly forgotten as she stared into the cloudy blue eyes of her attacker. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
563 wasn’t supposed to go this way. She was supposed to catch the Cards, not be
|
|
rlm@0
|
564 done in by them. This was all wrong. She hadn’t foreseen this at all. Her mind
|
|
rlm@0
|
565 desperately tried to sort out what had gone wrong, as she told herself again and
|
|
rlm@0
|
566 again that this couldn’t happen, that she wouldn’t be able to die because she
|
|
rlm@0
|
567 hadn’t seen it beforehand. She stared at Sonomi, disbelieving as the brunette
|
|
rlm@0
|
568 thrust forward. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. She wasn’t supposed to.. A
|
|
rlm@0
|
569 halo of silvery gray hair blocked her vision all of the sudden.
|
|
rlm@0
|
570 “Sonomi-chan!” Nadeshiko stood in front of the young mage, her arms
|
|
rlm@0
|
571 out. The sword came flying towards her, aimed right for her head. Nadeshiko
|
|
rlm@0
|
572 stood and waited, her emerald eyes searching Sonomi’s cloudy blue ones,
|
|
rlm@0
|
573 searching for any indication of her cousin. She knew Sonomi had to be in there
|
|
rlm@0
|
574 somewhere. She just had to find her. The blade stopped, inches from her head.
|
|
rlm@0
|
575 Sonomi just watched her for a long moment, unable to hurt her little cousin. The
|
|
rlm@0
|
576 sword slowly fell from her hand, clattering to the grass below. “Sonomi-chan!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
577 Nadeshiko yelled happily, rushing to Sonomi. She hugged the auburn haired girl
|
|
rlm@0
|
578 tightly. Her exhausted cousin collapsed against her, sending them both to their
|
|
rlm@0
|
579 knees in the grass. “Sonomi-chan!” She laughed joyously, pulling Sonomi as
|
|
rlm@0
|
580 close as she could. She felt so relieved, so happy. Sonomi was all right.
|
|
rlm@0
|
581 “I.. Thank you,” the new girl said, bowing to Nadeshiko. “You saved my
|
|
rlm@0
|
582 life, almost at the expense of your own. I’ll always remember that.” She watched
|
|
rlm@0
|
583 the two cousins hugging in the grass curiously, a bit surprised at what she saw
|
|
rlm@0
|
584 in the Cardcaptor. She had been expecting something else. Something a little
|
|
rlm@0
|
585 more akin to Clow Reed, perhaps. Not some silly schoolgirl. But the girl had
|
|
rlm@0
|
586 saved her life nonetheless.
|
|
rlm@0
|
587 Nadeshiko shook her head, smiling brightly. “I knew Sonomi-chan
|
|
rlm@0
|
588 wouldn’t hurt me. She couldn’t. She’s too busy trying to keep everything else
|
|
rlm@0
|
589 from hurting me. That’s why I knew she wouldn’t let the Clow Card that was
|
|
rlm@0
|
590 using her hurt me.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
591 The young mage nodded thoughtfully. Looking down, she prodded the
|
|
rlm@0
|
592 Sword Card with her foot. “You should seal this before it can cause anymore
|
|
rlm@0
|
593 trouble.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
594 “Un,” Nadeshiko replied, nodding against Sonomi. The other girl was
|
|
rlm@0
|
595 still weak against her, not even fully conscious. But she was safe. And that was
|
|
rlm@0
|
596 the important thing. Pulling up her staff, Nadeshiko looked at the Sword. “You
|
|
rlm@0
|
597 really need to be more careful, Ms. Clow Card. You could have really hurt
|
|
rlm@0
|
598 someone tonight. So I’m going to take you home with me, all right? You can make
|
|
rlm@0
|
599 a lot of friends there, I promise. Return to your true form, Clow Card!” Bringing
|
|
rlm@0
|
600 the staff down, the Sword disappeared, only to be replaced by a small orange
|
|
rlm@0
|
601 brown card with a sword on it.
|
|
rlm@0
|
602 “Don’t worry about your friend. She’ll be fine with a little rest. She
|
|
rlm@0
|
603 won’t remember any of the time she was under the influence of the Sword. But
|
|
rlm@0
|
604 what about him?” The mage gestured back towards Fujitaka.
|
|
rlm@0
|
605 “I’ll be fine. I’m just glad you two are all right. I guess you really do
|
|
rlm@0
|
606 only show your wings to Sonomi-san.” Fujitaka winced as he came forward, still
|
|
rlm@0
|
607 holding his side. He was amazed that Nadeshiko was a magical girl, but somehow
|
|
rlm@0
|
608 it seemed fitting. He didn’t want to make her tell him all the details. That was all
|
|
rlm@0
|
609 part of her life. He was glad for his glimpse of it, though. Did it have something to
|
|
rlm@0
|
610 do with that strange book he’d given her? It seemed so. It was strange that
|
|
rlm@0
|
611 something he’d barely thought about had such drastic repercussions. But at
|
|
rlm@0
|
612 least everything had worked out.
|
|
rlm@0
|
613 “Arigato, Kinomoto-sensei!” Nadeshiko replied, smiling. He returned
|
|
rlm@0
|
614 the smile, though he still looked a little pale. “And thank you..” Nadeshiko turned
|
|
rlm@0
|
615 to thank the young mage who had helped them, but found that she was already
|
|
rlm@0
|
616 gone. Nadeshiko glanced around for her, but there was no sign that she had ever
|
|
rlm@0
|
617 been there at all. Shrugging off the thought, Nadeshiko went back to hugging
|
|
rlm@0
|
618 Sonomi. She felt one of Sonomi’s hands slowly rubbing her back, up and down.
|
|
rlm@0
|
619 “Sonomi-chan!”
|
|
rlm@0
|
620 “Nadeshiko-chan...” Sonomi replied, her mind still hazy. How did she
|
|
rlm@0
|
621 get there? What had happened? Where was she? She sighed softly, resting her
|
|
rlm@0
|
622 weary head on Nadeshiko’s soft shoulder. It felt so nice. She could smell the
|
|
rlm@0
|
623 sweet scent of Nadeshiko’s hair against her. She breathed deeply, her aching
|
|
rlm@0
|
624 body relaxing. Her earlier worries and pain were forgotten. Only half broken
|
|
rlm@0
|
625 fragments of her earlier thoughts floated through her mind. One of them brushed
|
|
rlm@0
|
626 past her heart, making her want to hold on tightly to Nadeshiko and to never let
|
|
rlm@0
|
627 go. She wrapped both arms around her cousin’s waist, resting against her. “I’ll
|
|
rlm@0
|
628 always protect you, Nadeshiko-chan,” she whispered tiredly.
|
|
rlm@0
|
629 Nadeshiko kissed the side of her head, smiling. “I know, Sonomi-chan.
|
|
rlm@0
|
630 I’ve always known. And thank you. It makes me happy to know that
|
|
rlm@0
|
631 Sonomi-chan will always be there to rescue me.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
632 Sonomi blushed at Nadeshiko’s words, feeling her cousin’s fingers
|
|
rlm@0
|
633 rubbing the back of her head. She couldn’t bring herself to move outside of
|
|
rlm@0
|
634 Nadeshiko’s embrace, not that she would want to even if she did have the
|
|
rlm@0
|
635 strength. The two sat together for quite some time, Nadeshiko enjoying the
|
|
rlm@0
|
636 wonders of the life around them and right next to her, and Sonomi simply
|
|
rlm@0
|
637 enjoying the wonders that lay in Nadeshiko.
|
|
rlm@0
|
638
|
|
rlm@0
|
639 The image of the two girls rippled and then disappeared as the young
|
|
rlm@0
|
640 mage ran her fingers through the water. This was certainly interesting. It
|
|
rlm@0
|
641 appeared that things wouldn’t be so simple after all. A small smile crossed her
|
|
rlm@0
|
642 lips as she trailed her fingertips through the water. At least her time while
|
|
rlm@0
|
643 capturing the Cards wouldn’t be boring. She had the feeling that it would be
|
|
rlm@0
|
644 anything but.
|
|
rlm@0
|
645 “Are you done with your bath, miss?” a voice asked from outside the
|
|
rlm@0
|
646 bathroom.
|
|
rlm@0
|
647 “Almost, Wei. I’ll be out in just a minute,” she called, letting herself sink
|
|
rlm@0
|
648 lower in the warm water.
|
|
rlm@0
|
649 “I’ll leave your clothes out on your bed, miss. Be sure to get to bed
|
|
rlm@0
|
650 early. You have a rather big day ahead of you.”
|
|
rlm@0
|
651 The girl sighed softly, nodding. “Yes, I know. A very big day.” Sliding
|
|
rlm@0
|
652 back into the water, she let it surround her. A big day, indeed. After all, what
|
|
rlm@0
|
653 could be bigger than the day when one takes over the job of Cardcaptor?
|
|
rlm@0
|
654
|
|
rlm@0
|
655
|
|
rlm@0
|
656 |
