Mercurial > moonlitnights
comparison old/stories/CCN1.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights
[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
author | rlm |
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date | Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500 |
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1 Cardcaptor Nadeshiko | |
2 Chapter 1 | |
3 by G.P. and Amazoness Duo | |
4 pearsong1954@yahoo.com | |
5 amazonessduo@hotmail.com | |
6 | |
7 Spring came all in a rush that year, brusquely chasing away winter's chill. Nadeshiko was drawn | |
8 to the burgeoning sunshine like all the plants and animals that bloomed and stirred after a long | |
9 hibernation. The park near her house was closed for construction, but an indulgent mother | |
10 cheerfully ferried the girl and her cousin to the nearby park at Tomoeda. Stopping in a crowded | |
11 lot, Nadeshiko's mother bustled the children to the edge of the just-green grass. Sitting on her | |
12 heels, she earnestly looked at her daughter as she spoke, | |
13 | |
14 "Nadeshiko-chan, I want you to stay in the park, and be careful. Please don't wander around, and | |
15 stick by Sonomi-chan, OK? Nadeshiko-chan?" | |
16 | |
17 But the girl was already lost in the budding branches and twittering birds. Her emerald eyes | |
18 sparkled in wonder as she clasped her hands and hopped excitedly. A little zephyr teasingly | |
19 tossed her long, silvery hair, as if inviting the beautiful child to come and play. With a sigh, | |
20 her mother smiled and looked at her daughter's companion. | |
21 | |
22 Born nine months before her flighty cousin, Sonomi's height and serious manner made her seem more | |
23 mature than her 10 years. Wearing her reddish-auburn hair in two long, practical pigtails, and | |
24 dressed in a pretty white skirt with a frilly, long-sleeve mint-green blouse, she looked | |
25 perfectly attired for the cool, spring day. Nadeshiko's mother placed her hand on the girl's | |
26 shoulder and gazed into her sky-blue eyes. With a pleading smile, she said, | |
27 | |
28 "Please try and watch out for her, Sonomi-chan." | |
29 | |
30 Sonomi bowed quickly and answered, "Hai." | |
31 | |
32 The Amamiya woman stood and said, "Il be back at three o'clock to pick you up. Oh, and here's | |
33 some money for lunch. They have a nice little stand that sells snacks over by the playground. | |
34 Have a fun time!" | |
35 | |
36 As the older woman waved and walked away, Sonomi bowed, but her daughter was already running | |
37 towards the bushes, quickly followed by her nearly frantic cousin. Poised to enter the car, she | |
38 watched them from a distance. Her precious daughter, growing up so fast! With a smile and a | |
39 sigh, she started the engine and drove away. | |
40 | |
41 Nadeshiko tilted back her head and stared at the sky. She began to twirl about; arms spread | |
42 wide, giggling, slowly gaining speed as the dancing dizziness took her. Laughing, she collapsed | |
43 in a heap as the shimmering world tilted and spun. Lying back in the grass, shading her eyes | |
44 from the dazzling sun, she slowly regained her equilibrium. Puffy white clouds hovered in the | |
45 turquoise sky, drifting gently on some unseen breeze. The little girl loved simple things. Each | |
46 leaf and pebble, every grain of sand and drop of briny water at the beach was a world of it's | |
47 own. She could stare for hours at droplets trickling down a rainy-day window, or fat, white | |
48 snowflakes silently falling. Boredom was an alien emotion she had never experienced, for there | |
49 was always something to catch and teasingly hold her attention. Closing her eyes, feeling the | |
50 world swirling about in the inner darkness, she heard a voice softly calling, | |
51 | |
52 "Nadeshiko-chan, you shouldn't spin around like that. You'll make yourself sick." | |
53 | |
54 Her eyelashes fluttered, and a slightly tilting Sonomi filled her vision. Sonomi-chan! For a | |
55 moment she lay there, gazing at the solemnly beautiful girl sitting by her side. She felt | |
56 ice-blue eyes regarding her with loving care and concern. Smiling, she reached out and lightly | |
57 took one of the swaying pigtails in her hand. Fascinated, she traced the contours of the | |
58 twisting braids with her fingers, her eyes following the terra-cotta curves of the girl's | |
59 lustrous hair. In a whispery voice she asked, | |
60 | |
61 "Sonomi-chan, can you show me how to braid my hair like this? It's so pretty." | |
62 | |
63 Sonomi blinked in momentary confusion. Feeling her hair in the hand of the gorgeous girl left | |
64 her breathless and blushing. She felt a flash of irritation at herself for being so surprised at | |
65 her cousin's sudden change of topic. She was often blindsided by the strange girl's erratic | |
66 thoughts and actions. With an inner sigh, she conceded the impossibility of sticking to the | |
67 original topic. Rather than continuing her lecture on the dangers of dizziness, she let herself | |
68 go with the unpredictable flow. She was also aware of the crimson-hot blush spreading across her | |
69 cheeks as she answered, | |
70 | |
71 "Thank you, Nadeshiko-chan. I'd love to show you how to braid your hair someday." | |
72 | |
73 For a while Nadeshiko was silent, lost in contemplation. Then she sat up, gazing at Sonomi. Her | |
74 cousin looked away, blushing again, unable to voice the feelings she barely understood. Nadeshiko | |
75 stood and suddenly started singing to herself, beaming down at Sonomi. She teetered for a few | |
76 halting steps, giggling at her fading dizziness. Sonomi shot up to steady her, and was suddenly | |
77 hugged by her cousin. The slender body embraced her tightly, nearly overwhelming her in a storm | |
78 of scented, silvery hair. Again she heard the soft, feathery voice, | |
79 | |
80 "I love you, Sonomi-chan." | |
81 | |
82 Sonomi was dumbstruck. Nadeshiko baffled her, enchanted her, and set her heart racing. Around | |
83 the girl her emotions were always in a whirl, robbing her of speech and reason. All she could do | |
84 was hug back with a fierce, mysterious affection. Finally, Nadeshiko laughed in a high-pitched | |
85 trill, then dashed away like some nymph in the forest. Sonomi breathlessly watched her go, shook | |
86 off the odd urge to cry, and then sprinted off to make sure she was all right. | |
87 | |
88 All that day they played in the park. The spring sun warmed them, and the buds and blossoms, | |
89 shaking off the shackles of winter, cheered them with the news that all life comes ‘round again. | |
90 They nibbled little crackers and snacks, and Nadeshiko bought a sweet potato from a broken-down | |
91 looking truck. Sonomi frowningly said they might get ill from such unlady-like fare, but accepted | |
92 the steaming portion of sweetness from her cousin, secretly reveling in the illicit treat. | |
93 Finally, they wandered to an open field bordered with sakura trees. The cherry blossoms were in | |
94 early bloom, floating over the grassy expanse like pink and white clouds. Nadeshiko squealed in | |
95 delight and ran to greet her favorite flowers. Sonomi trailed along behind, half watching a group | |
96 of older boys playing baseball at the far end of the field. One of them, large and muscular, | |
97 swung hard and knocked himself down, laughing all the while. But the next pitch he pulverized, | |
98 the ball leaping off his bat, rocketing past the outfield, towards the sakura trees, and, Sonomi | |
99 realized in horror, right at Nadeshiko-chan. | |
100 | |
101 Nadeshiko stopped running as soon as she reached the first tree. She looked up at the sky, | |
102 dappled sunlight scattered by thousands of sakura blossoms waving gently in the breeze. Reaching | |
103 up with delicate fingers, she touched a satiny flower, felt the hard, rough branch and a slick, | |
104 shimmering green leaf. Overflowing with indescribable joy, eyes drinking in the quivering beauty, | |
105 she smiled. She felt her body melting away, her ephemeral frame vaporizing in a spray of light. | |
106 For an instant she saw with the eyes of the tree, old eyes that had watched a hundred thousand | |
107 sunsets and millions of stars spinning in the black satin sky. She saw the world of trees, where | |
108 time meanders in a slow and steady flow, where people and birds and bugs chatter and eat and | |
109 pass away in an instant. And then, she saw the ball, a streak of white lightning blazing straight | |
110 at her, at the flowers and buds and branches, at the fragile flesh and bone of her pale, | |
111 porcelain face. She heard a thin scream, wailing from far away, calling a name, her name? But | |
112 she stood still, entranced by the dipping arc of the ball as it sailed towards her, gathering | |
113 speed in descent, whispering of pain and disfigurement and dark, seductive death. As the white | |
114 blur approached, crashing through the twigs and leaves, sending up a shower of pretty, pink | |
115 sakura blossoms, she felt a sudden pressure on her arm and shoulder, a jarring shove knocking | |
116 her off balance. Her eyes followed the slow-motion flight of the ball as she fell, it's course | |
117 straight and true even as it's target tilted away. The ball struck, cushioned by her thick, | |
118 silken hair, glancing off the side of her head. In a flash her vision grayed and faded, and the | |
119 blackness took her. | |
120 | |
121 Sonomi exploded in a desperate sprint, a fatal race against the streaking ball. As she strained | |
122 every muscles and sinew, she saw Nadeshiko transfixed, watching the sky. She screamed her name | |
123 even as her lungs gasped for air, but the girl ignored her. Panic and fear were swallowed in a | |
124 longing for speed as all thoughts and feelings gave way to a singularity of instinct. As | |
125 Nadeshiko filled her vision she leapt like a panther for the kill, outstretched fingers clawing | |
126 at the innocent girl. Her momentum shoved her cousin back with a sudden snap, but too late, as | |
127 the ball hit her head with a sickening thud. The two tumbled to the ground together, but Sonomi | |
128 quickly sprang back up and knelt by Nadeshiko's side. Her eyes closed, the girl lay still as | |
129 death in the sweet, spring grass. Sonomi felt an icy dread gripping her chest as she stared at | |
130 the broken doll figure splayed in the grass, silvery hair spread like a fan, framing the | |
131 beautiful, lifeless face. The unthinkable tore at her self-control like some frenzied animal. | |
132 She trembled, tears falling freely, dotting Nadeshiko's creamy white ice-cream dress like little | |
133 raindrops. She was oblivious to the breathless voice behind her, | |
134 | |
135 "No. Oh, no." | |
136 | |
137 The teenage boy in the baseball uniform knelt on the other side of the fallen girl, concern | |
138 etched in his face. He reached out and took the girl's slender wrist, feeling for a pulse. The | |
139 relief poured out in his gentle voice, | |
140 | |
141 "She's alive. Thank goodness. I was so afraid. My, my house is right over there. Let's take her | |
142 there, OK?" | |
143 | |
144 Sonomi, still in shock, nodded as the sempai easily lifted the stricken girl, carefully cradling | |
145 her head in his large arms. | |
146 | |
147 Nadeshiko slowly awoke in shadowy darkness, with only a thin trickle of sunlight eking past the | |
148 drawn shades of an unfamiliar room. Fragments of dreams lingered as her eyes focused on the dimly | |
149 lit ceiling. She scanned the unfamiliar space, and then heard the music again. The music from her | |
150 dreams, the music she had followed while she slept. Slept? Why was she sleeping in a funny room | |
151 like this? But the music called to her again, and she sat up, listening. She stood, a bit | |
152 unsteady at first, and then tiptoed to the door. The music was behind there, behind that door. | |
153 Curious, she opened it a crack, and heard the music swell. It was some sort of dance music, a | |
154 Western waltz, maybe. Her eyes were already used to the darkness, and she carefully crept down | |
155 the creaking stairs. Awareness of a headache slowly came, but in her fascination with the | |
156 alluring music she ignored it. Finally, she reached the basement floor, and found herself in the | |
157 middle of a library. | |
158 | |
159 There were all manner of books packed on the shelves, most of them very old looking, with titles | |
160 in languages she could not read. She followed the delightfully cheery music, looking for a radio | |
161 or phonograph. But there were only books. Finally, she paused, puzzled, and simply listened to | |
162 the wonderful tune. She smiled. And then she began to dance. | |
163 | |
164 Holding the scalloped hem of her dress, she slowly began to twirl and step to the music. She | |
165 was, at times, something of a clumsy girl, and wondered if that explained the bump on her head | |
166 that she felt just now. But she danced with an easy grace, and was charming to behold. Her mother | |
167 had enrolled her in dance class at an early age, and if she lacked the burning desire and | |
168 ambition of the other girls, her natural beauty and poise had quickly won over the instructors. | |
169 The Russian woman told her mother that the girl had the natural talent to be a professional | |
170 ballerina, and that in the old country she would have been boarded at one of the great ballet | |
171 schools and molded properly. But Nadeshiko was too easily distracted, and her sweetness too | |
172 potent for the teachers to apply the harsh discipline needed to bend her to their will. Yet when | |
173 she danced, the other students watched, some in awe and some in envy, for she seemed to them | |
174 like some fugitive from the realms of Faerie. | |
175 | |
176 So she danced, green eyes sparkling, hair loose and free, bare feet tracing deft patterns on the | |
177 dusty floor. The magic buried deep inside of her awoke, and shone forth like a blazing beacon of | |
178 pure, white light. In the cramped spaces of the dark basement she leapt and spun, a shimmering | |
179 whirlwind of pirouettes and swirls. Then her motions slowed, fingers tracing slow circles in the | |
180 air, timidly tip-toeing like a fawn in the deep forest. Gyrating, gliding with light-footed ease, | |
181 she danced for the music whose source she could not see. But she was seen, and watched with | |
182 surprise, delight, and yearning. Suddenly leaping high, then descending airily, her dress | |
183 ruffling like gossamer in the wind, she was startled by a thudding sound on the ground by her | |
184 tiny feet. The music stopped, and so did her dance. Curious, she bent over and picked the book | |
185 up. It was an odd volume, ancient by it's look, heavy, and thick with dust. She brushed it off, | |
186 and saw the image of a winged, golden lion on the back, and strange moons and a sun on the front. | |
187 The book was fastened with metallic clasp, and as she examined it more closely she realized that | |
188 it was a western book, and the lion was actually on the front cover. But what could be in such a | |
189 strange and marvelous volume? Why was it locked tight? Aching to know, her agile fingers | |
190 carefully pried the clasp. At first resistent, it suddenly sprang open with a click that sounded | |
191 distressingly loud in the quiet basement. | |
192 | |
193 Nadeshiko gently opened the book and was amazed to find not pages, but a recessed hollow | |
194 containing what looked like cards. She carefully placed the book on the floor, and took out the | |
195 top card. It was so beautiful! On it was a young woman in a magical dress that looked just like | |
196 a blossom. Her hair was worn in two twirly cones, with little spiral tresses dangling at the | |
197 ends. She had flowers for earrings, and smiled beatifically, eyes closed, as petals rained down | |
198 upon her. There were strange, petal-like symbols on her forehead and breast. The mysterious | |
199 figure was bordered by a frame with the sun on top, two seven-pointed stars on each side, and a | |
200 crescent moon at her feet. She was absolutely adorable, and Nadeshiko loved her at first sight. | |
201 Her name was written in Romanic letters, in the English language that always baffled the girl at | |
202 school. Nadeshiko struggled to remember the complex patterns of sound that the alien letters | |
203 formed, | |
204 | |
205 "Teh...heh.....ee...The, The! Foo...Row..." She struggled with the impossible "L" sound. | |
206 Concentrating, her tongue feeling odd and thick, she tried again, | |
207 | |
208 "The...Fo...low...her......Follow?....The Flower!" | |
209 | |
210 The excitment of discovery lit up her face, and in the same instant the card was lit with an | |
211 equally sudden, oscillating white light. She felt the card fall, or leap, from her hand, and was | |
212 momentarily blinded by the shatteringly brilliant light. Falling backwards in surprise and | |
213 banging into a bookshelf, she barely kept on her feet. Painfully squinting her eyes, the room | |
214 was illuminated in a soft, pale, glow. Gradually growing used to the brightness, she discerned | |
215 the outline of a figure in front of her. At the same time she caught the unmistakable scent of | |
216 flowers, hundreds of flowers mingled together, gardens and greenhouses and fields full of | |
217 flowers. With a start, she recognized the outline of the figure before her as the beautiful | |
218 young woman in the card. | |
219 | |
220 Open-mouthed, she gasped as the woman slowly approached her. Regarding her with luminous, | |
221 multi-hued eyes, the flowery creature dipped in a pretty little curtsey. Not quite sure what | |
222 else to do, Nadeshiko held the hem of her dress and offered her own curtsey in return. This | |
223 brought a musical giggle from the woman, who smiled and leaned closer, regarding the barefoot | |
224 girl with fascination. She reached out a hand, and gently ran her fingers through the long, | |
225 silvery hair. Resting her palm on the girl’s cheek, Nadeshiko closed her eyes, nearly | |
226 overwhelmed by the sweet scent of roses and lilies. Her eyes shot open as she felt a hand | |
227 embrace her waist, pulling her closer as the music swelled. When the woman took her other hand | |
228 and held her close, Nadeshiko blushed. This brought more giggles from the strange new | |
229 acquaintance as she neatly stepped into the pace of the music. | |
230 | |
231 And so they danced, Nadeshiko quickly falling into the rhythm of her taller partner. She had | |
232 danced with other girls in her class, but never with someone like this. The two swept over the | |
233 floor in a graceful arc, the girl following her partner step by step. At first, Nadeshiko | |
234 labored to keep up, but she quickly gained familiarity with the pattern, and soon gave herself | |
235 over to the motion and the music. There was a dreamy, unreal quality to the dance, and the girl | |
236 was aware that as they spun and dipped, a flurry of flower petals were left in their wake. As | |
237 the tempo picked up, they whirled about faster and faster, whipping up the air into a little | |
238 cyclone. The books were shaken on the shelves, and Nadeshiko saw the cards in the mysterious | |
239 book she had found thrown into the air, glowing and shimmering, spinning along with their dance. | |
240 Finally, the cards burst through the ceiling in a blaze of light, slipping through the wooden | |
241 surface like pebbles dropped in a lake. Astonished, concerned, and breathless from the waltz, | |
242 Nadeshiko spoke in a panicky whisper, “Please stop.” | |
243 | |
244 In an instant, Flower flowed like liquid back into her card as Nadeshiko watched in stunned | |
245 silence. Dizzy from all the twirling and spinning, the girl picked up the card in one hand, and | |
246 felt her throbbing head with the other. Suddenly, a high-pitched voice shrieked out behind her, | |
247 and the already disoriented girl leapt into the air, | |
248 | |
249 “The Cards!” | |
250 | |
251 Nadeshiko quickly bowed her apologies, “Gomenesai, I, Umm, it was all my fault. I didn’t know | |
252 that the dancing would scatter them so.” | |
253 | |
254 But as she peeked to see the feet of the owner of the voice, there was nothing but empty floor. | |
255 Puzzled, she raised her eyes higher, and finally saw a small, winged little creature, paws on | |
256 his cheek, staring dumbstruck at the now empty book on the floor. Nadeshiko stood up and stared | |
257 in turn. Despite it’s obvious distress, the little animal was irresistibly kawaii, and with a | |
258 delighted squeel the girl grabbed the creature and smothered it in a giggling hug. Squirming away | |
259 from the demonstrative stranger, the furry animal shot back in an accusatory tone, | |
260 | |
261 “Who are you? Where did the Cards go? How did they get free?” | |
262 | |
263 Giggling, Nadeshiko bowed and answered brightly, “I’m Amamiya Nadeshiko.” Then, clasping her | |
264 hands behind her back, she leaned forward and continued, “I’m so very sorry if I lost your cards. | |
265 I guess it happened when Flower and I were dancing. She’s such an amazing dancer, and I guess we | |
266 set too fast a pace. “ | |
267 | |
268 The furry creature regarded her with a suspicious gaze and asked, “How did Flower get free. Did | |
269 you see who did it?” | |
270 | |
271 Nadeshiko tilted her head, placing her fingertip on her cheek as she tried to remember, “Well, I | |
272 don’t really know. I first saw her appear after I said her name written on the card.” | |
273 | |
274 Wings beating faster, the hovering animal looked at her in disbelief, “You set her free? But you | |
275 aren’t the Card Captor. You can’t be.” | |
276 | |
277 Nadeshiko smiled and replied, “I don’t know what that is, a Card Captor, I mean. If I see that | |
278 person, I’ll be happy to tell you.” | |
279 | |
280 “You spoke Flower’s name,” the creature asked. The girl smilingly nodded her assent. | |
281 | |
282 “And then she appeared.” Again, the smile and the nod. The little animal continued to regard her, | |
283 as if measuring her against some hidden standard. Finally, he asked, | |
284 | |
285 “You opened the book.” | |
286 | |
287 Still smiling, she replied, “The Book.” | |
288 | |
289 He nodded. | |
290 | |
291 “THE Book.” She stated definitively. | |
292 | |
293 Again, he nodded. With a puzzled look she asked, | |
294 | |
295 “What book is that?” | |
296 | |
297 After his dizziness cleared, the animal squeeked angrily, “Baka! The Clow Book! The book with | |
298 all the cards in it.” | |
299 | |
300 Nadeshiko’s expression brightened, “Oh, THAT book! Yes, I opened it. That’s where I saw the | |
301 Flower card. I wonder what other cards were in there.” She stood lost in this new thought. | |
302 | |
303 He gazed at her wonderingly, thinking to himself, “Is she the one? How can it possibly be her? | |
304 Something about all this seems so wrong. But she says she opened the Book, and summoned The | |
305 Flower. And she sent her back; I saw that with my own eyes. How could she possibly do that | |
306 unless…” Finally, he spoke up in a rolling, portentous voice, | |
307 | |
308 “Yes, now I see. I can see that you are indeed the Card Captor of legend. I am the Beast of the | |
309 Seal, Kereberous the Golden, Guardian of the Cards, and for 300 years my vision has never failed. | |
310 Even now, the challenge of the Cards calls to us. Come, Card Captor, for our work begins!” | |
311 | |
312 Kereberous struck an awesome pose, a formidable combination of determination, will, and hearty | |
313 good fellowship. In response, Nadeshiko replied, | |
314 | |
315 “I wonder if there were any other flowers in there. Oh, or maybe other pretty things, like cute | |
316 little netsuke, or maybe some yummy food cards!” | |
317 | |
318 Kereberous stared in disbelief at the girl, oblivious to everything he had said. Holding a paw | |
319 to his bowed head he released an exasperated sigh. As he was about to speak again, a desperate | |
320 scream rose from the floor above, “Nadeshiko-chan? Nadeshiko-chan! Where are you?” | |
321 | |
322 The girl looked up at the ceiling and whispered, “Sonomi-chan?” | |
323 | |
324 |