1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/old/stories/CCN0.txt	Fri Feb 19 20:53:12 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,233 @@
     1.4 +Cardcaptor Nadeshiko
     1.5 +Chapter Zero
     1.6 +by G.P. and the Amazoness Duo
     1.7 +
     1.8 +On Sonomi’s tenth birthday it rained hard all day. Mother cancelled the party, leaving her 
     1.9 +daughter with the dreary prospect of being cooped up indoors. Like most girls her age Sonomi 
    1.10 +was active and easily bored, so being shut in by the weather left her edgy and irritable.
    1.11 + Frustrated, she prowled the house like a restless animal, looking at the birthday decorations
    1.12 + with a pitiful disappointment. Surprised by a knock at the front door, she was opened it and 
    1.13 +heard the rushing roar of the heavy rain. There stood her cousin Nadeshiko, drenched by the 
    1.14 +downpour, smiling sweetly as always. Stunned, Sonomi silently ushered her in, then frantically 
    1.15 +began yelling for her mother to bring all the towels in the house, and quickly. Her mother rushed
    1.16 + to the hallway, spied the dripping wet girl, shook her head and laughed,
    1.17 +“Oh, my goodness! Nadeshiko-chan, you look like something that the cat dragged in.”
    1.18 +
    1.19 +Sonomi blurted out indignantly, “Mother, it’s not funny. She could get pneumonia or something!”
    1.20 +
    1.21 +Mother regarded her worried daughter with a smile. Then, as mothers ever have, she began to bring
    1.22 + order out of chaos, “Sonomi-chan, get the big red blanket from the hall closet. Nadeshiko-chan, 
    1.23 +lets get you out of those wet clothes and into a hot bath right away. I guess you can wear some 
    1.24 +of Sonomi-chan’s clothing”.
    1.25 +
    1.26 +Nadeshiko chimed in brightly, as if all the bedlam concerned her not in the least, “Thank you, 
    1.27 +Oka-sama, but I brought clothes for the party I can change into afterwards.” Smiling proudly, she
    1.28 + held forth a large package carefully wrapped in plastic.
    1.29 +
    1.30 +
    1.31 +Sonomi’s mother smiled indulgently, “All right dear. Let’s get you in the tub straight away. 
    1.32 +Sonomi darling, please get me that blanket.”
    1.33 +
    1.34 +
    1.35 +Suddenly remembering her appointed task, the red-haired girl leapt up the stairs and hurried to 
    1.36 +the hall closet. Her birthday forgotten, she felt a sickening knot in her stomach as she fretted
    1.37 + about her precious cousin. Grabbing the heavy woolen blanket, she dashed to the bathroom. 
    1.38 +Entering, she heard the sound of running water, and her mother’s voice calling out, “Sonomi-chan,
    1.39 + please get that blanket around Nadeshiko right away.”
    1.40 +
    1.41 +
    1.42 +Sonomi stepped over a heap of damp clothing, and then saw the girl hugging herself for warmth, 
    1.43 +naked and shivering in the cold, October air. She looked like some bedraggled fairy, her long, 
    1.44 +silver-gray hair a wet and stringy shawl draped over her slender body. Sonomi quickly wrapped her
    1.45 + up and hugged her tightly, as if to give her own warmth to the trembling girl. Looking at her 
    1.46 +cousin with glistening, grateful eyes, Nadeshiko spoke in her whispery, musical lilt, “Thank you,
    1.47 + Sonomi-chan.” Burying her head in her cousin’s chest, she waited patiently for the bath to fill.
    1.48 +
    1.49 +
    1.50 +Later that afternoon, the willowy girl sat on a chair by the window, staring out at the dark, 
    1.51 +ragged clouds scudding across the steel gray sky. Enraptured by the jagged lightning illuminating
    1.52 + the thunderclouds, Nadeshiko listened eagerly for the distant rumbling and booming to follow. 
    1.53 +Clapping her hands in delight, she ooh'ed and ahh'ed with each brilliant burst of light like a 
    1.54 +fireworks display at a festival. Simple things intrigued her, and this showy display of Nature 
    1.55 +filled her with an indescribable joy. For the odd nine year-old, the world was an endlessly 
    1.56 +fascinating place. Sometimes, she would sit still and quiet for hours, watching an ant laboring 
    1.57 +mightily with an enormous crumb, or a delicate spider weaving her web with silent dedication. 
    1.58 +Oblivious to the stares and whispers that followed her peculiar behavior, she dwelt in a solitary
    1.59 + world inhabited only by herself and the current object of her fascination. Thus it was to be 
    1.60 +expected that, enthralled by the crashing thunderstorm, she was quite unaware that her equally 
    1.61 +enthralled cousin was staring at her.
    1.62 +
    1.63 +
    1.64 +Sonomi perched on the edge of her bed, watching intently. Nadeshiko had changed into the outfit
    1.65 + she had brought in the package, and now wore a frilly, flouncy dress of pure white taffeta that
    1.66 + made her look like a fairy tale princess. This was no doubt her Mother's doing, as she 
    1.67 +invariably dressed the lovely child in the cutest manner possible, like some rare and precious 
    1.68 +doll. Her flowing hair, a curious shade of silvery-gray, was loosely tied with bows of light blue
    1.69 + ribbon. She wore white shoes and lacey anklets, her crinoline crinkling as she swung her feet 
    1.70 +back and forth. Sonomi gazed at her with an aching heart, a longing she felt but did not 
    1.71 +understand. Yet the joy that bubbled up inside her was tinged with sadness, as if all her 
    1.72 +happiness rested on a perilously fragile foundation. It was more than a girl just turned ten 
    1.73 +could fathom, so she spoke out almost irritably, struggling to put her confused and distraught 
    1.74 +feelings into words,
    1.75 +
    1.76 +“Nadeshiko-chan, why did you go out in the rain like that?”
    1.77 +
    1.78 +
    1.79 +Literally lost in the clouds, her cousin failed to respond. Sonomi sighed, and reflected on this 
    1.80 +craziest of birthdays. After a warm bath and hot tea, Nadeshiko had defied all Sonomi’s worries 
    1.81 +by appearing perfectly fine. Mother broke out the party hats, colorful napkins, and all the 
    1.82 +birthday regalia that had been consigned to the closet. At first it seemed quite foolish, this 
    1.83 +party of two, but Nadeshiko’s innocent enthusiasm soon swept away the birthday girl’s lingering 
    1.84 +inhibitions. After luncheon, Nadeshiko insisted on singing Happy Birthday in as rousing a chorus
    1.85 + as she could manage with her gentle voice. Sonomi blushed during the song, and after when her 
    1.86 +cousin hugged her with delirious abandon. Now, clad in her birthday party best, the silver-haired
    1.87 + girl seemed oblivious to Sonomi’s edgy concern. Clearing her throat, the auburn-haired girl 
    1.88 +spoke up in a voice loud enough to get her distracted cousin’s attention,
    1.89 +
    1.90 +“Nadeshiko-chan!”
    1.91 +
    1.92 +
    1.93 +Startled, the girl turned around. Sonomi, unable to hide her gnawing worry, said,
    1.94 +
    1.95 +“Nadeshiko-chan, why did you come like that in the rain? You could have gotten terribly sick.”
    1.96 +
    1.97 +
    1.98 +Tilting her head and smiling brightly, she replied, “Nadeshiko would have felt terrible if she 
    1.99 +had missed Sonomi-chan’s wonderful tenth birthday party.”
   1.100 +
   1.101 +
   1.102 +Exasperated, Sonomi declared, “But didn’t your parents tell you the party was cancelled? I can’t
   1.103 + believe they let you go out in weather like this.”
   1.104 +
   1.105 +
   1.106 +“Oh, they told me the party was cancelled. But that would have made Sonomi-chan too sad on her 
   1.107 +special day. Sonomi-chan being sad would have been worse than any cold I could catch.” With that,
   1.108 + she giggled conspiratorially and whispered, 
   1.109 +
   1.110 +“Mother and Father didn’t know I was coming. But I left them a note for when they get back, so 
   1.111 +everything is all right.”
   1.112 +
   1.113 +
   1.114 +As if that settled the matter, Nadeshiko went back to sky gazing, leaving Sonomi more perplexed 
   1.115 +than ever. But suddenly, the silver-haired girl leaped up, clasping her hands and blurting out, 
   1.116 +“Oh!”
   1.117 +
   1.118 +
   1.119 +Sonomi felt her heart racing as she exclaimed, “Nadeshiko-chan, what’s wrong?”
   1.120 +
   1.121 +
   1.122 +Nadeshiko bolted for the door and sang out, “I’ll be right back. Stay there, and no peeking!”
   1.123 +
   1.124 +
   1.125 +In no time she was back, holding two rather soggy presents wrapped in pink paper and bows. She 
   1.126 +bowed and smiled apologetically as she merrily offered the first one to her startled cousin,
   1.127 +
   1.128 +
   1.129 +"Happy Birthday, Sonomi-chan!"
   1.130 +
   1.131 +
   1.132 +Sonomi took the package, looked at it, then stared at Nadeshiko. Smiling, she shook her head and
   1.133 + began to undo the ribbon. Thoughts of her crazy cousin gave way to a child's curiosity as she 
   1.134 +carefully undid the ribbons, then ran a finger through the seam of the paper. It was skillfully 
   1.135 +wrapped, which led her to believe that Nadeshiko's mother had done it. Finally the paper shook 
   1.136 +loose, revealing a scrapbook with a hand-written title, "Sonomi-Chan's Precious Memories." The 
   1.137 +script was labored and unsteady, as if her cousin had spent an inordinate amount of time trying 
   1.138 +to get it just right. The cover was gaily decorated with hand-drawn hearts and flowers, and odd 
   1.139 +little animals and faces. She opened it, and saw the blank pages had little marginal notes and 
   1.140 +drawings written in a familiar, childlike scrawl. She looked up and saw Nadeshiko's expectant 
   1.141 +face, and struggled to keep her own tears in check as she spoke,
   1.142 +
   1.143 +
   1.144 +"Thank you so very much. It's beautiful."
   1.145 +
   1.146 +
   1.147 +The silver-haired girl smiled with glee as she bounced up and down , "Open the other one! Open 
   1.148 +the other one!"
   1.149 +
   1.150 +
   1.151 +Sonomi carefully placed the hand-made scrapbook on her desk. It was typical of Nadeshiko's 
   1.152 +presents. Despite a lack of skill or craft, her little gifts were imbued with an innocent love 
   1.153 +that deeply touched the heart. Sonomi took the next package, which was a small rectangle. 
   1.154 +Carefully opening it, she saw a box for a camera kit. With a puzzled glance at her cousin she 
   1.155 +asked, "What is it?"
   1.156 +
   1.157 +
   1.158 +Nadeshiko could scarecely contain herself, "Open it, Sonomi-chan, open it!"
   1.159 +
   1.160 +
   1.161 +What on earth did she put in this box, Sonomi wondered. Cookies? Candies? Undoing the tape on the
   1.162 + lid, she pulled out a cardboard liner wrapped around a small, black camera. Stunned, she gaped 
   1.163 +open-mouthed as Nadeshiko hopped up and down, her face alight with excitement, "Do you like it? 
   1.164 +Do you like it?" The girl asked eagerly.
   1.165 +
   1.166 +
   1.167 +"It's...it's wonderful," Sonomi stammered, "But how did you...it must have been so expensive."
   1.168 +
   1.169 +
   1.170 +Nadeshiko's grinned hugely, " I saved up all my birthday money, and the money grandfather gave me
   1.171 + for Girl's Day. The man at the store said it was a very good camera. You can buy new lenses and 
   1.172 +everything."
   1.173 +
   1.174 +
   1.175 +Sonomi ran her finger over the cold metal trim and the bumpy black body of the amazing 
   1.176 +instrument. She had always been fascinated by photography, by the ability to capture a moment out
   1.177 + of time forever. But this was too much. She couldn't accept such a costly gift. Yet one look at 
   1.178 +Nadeshiko's ecstatic face and she knew it would break her heart to refuse it. And that was 
   1.179 +something she could never, ever do. Carefully placing the camera down on the desk, she wrapped 
   1.180 +her arms around the long-haired girl. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she hugged tightly, 
   1.181 +whispering thank-yous. Finally, reluctantly, she pulled back, wiping away the tears, and said,
   1.182 +
   1.183 +
   1.184 +"Well, the first picture should be of my most precious memory for my beautiful scrapbook. May I 
   1.185 +please take your picture, Nadeshiko-chan?"
   1.186 +
   1.187 +
   1.188 +Her cousin bowed and answered in mock solemnity, "I would be honored to serve as the first 
   1.189 +subject of the future famous photographer, Amamiya Sonomi-sama."
   1.190 +
   1.191 +
   1.192 +Giggling, the two girls examined the camera and began to read the complicated instructions.
   1.193 +
   1.194 +
   1.195 +II. 
   1.196 +
   1.197 +On the way home in the car as her mother gently chastised her, Nadeshiko's mind wandered. Her 
   1.198 +walk in the rain was great fun, dodging from tree to tree, helping the poor little worms to keep
   1.199 + from drowning, and dancing in the streams and rivers that gurgled down the storm drains. The 
   1.200 +warm bath and hot tea had felt so good, and the love of Sonomi's mother had washed over her like
   1.201 + a gentle wave. The magnificent cake was so pretty, with curlicues of pink and green frosting 
   1.202 +around the edges, and little sugar decorations that looked like rosebuds. The look on Sonomi's 
   1.203 +face as she unwrapped her presents had been so adorable. Nadeshiko's heart beat faster at the 
   1.204 +thought of her precious cousin. She smiled, feeling the love swirl inside her heart. 
   1.205 +
   1.206 +
   1.207 +And the pictures! Posing for the camera had been almost like dancing, gliding and moving like 
   1.208 +liquid, her body infused with light, shimmering and transparent. Sonomi-chan was so cutely 
   1.209 +flustered at first, but soon seemed determined to take the perfect shot. All that afternoon 
   1.210 +Nadeshiko posed while Sonomi fussed with the camera. Finally, Nadeshiko's worried, apologetic 
   1.211 +parents swept her away to home, where a comfy bed was waiting. By the time the car arrived at her
   1.212 + house, Nadeshiko had slipped into the land of dreams. Her father carried her to bed as she 
   1.213 +danced with Sonomi under a purple moon.
   1.214 +
   1.215 +
   1.216 +The days that followed her birthday were an agony of waiting for Sonomi. On the way home from 
   1.217 +school she stopped faithfully at the drugstore to see if her pictures were ready. Finally, on 
   1.218 +Friday, the clerk saw her coming and smilingly placed a neatly wrapped brown packet on the 
   1.219 +counter. Sonomi eagerly paid and ran home. At first she was crestfallen. Some of the shots were 
   1.220 +blurry, or washed out, too light or too dark. She frowned, realizing only a dedicated effort 
   1.221 +would bring the skill she needed to be a real photographer. But one came out just right: 
   1.222 +Nadeshiko standing, holding a straw hat on her head, framed by the gray storm clouds in the 
   1.223 +picture window. She looked carefree and natural, as if the camera did not even exist. Sonomi 
   1.224 +always felt self-conscious when pictures were taken, but not Nadeshiko. In a way, the picture was
   1.225 + oddly disturbing, as if her cousin was blithely unaware of the furious storm that raged all 
   1.226 +about her. But the anxiety Sonomi felt was eased by the sheer beauty of the photograph. Nadeshiko
   1.227 + looked like something from a storybook, a beautiful princess or a magical spirit. Sonomi felt a 
   1.228 +hot, crimson blush on her cheeks, but could not stop looking at the ethereal image. All that day 
   1.229 +she kept it with her, finally falling asleep under the covers, gazing at her beautiful cousin by 
   1.230 +flashlight. In the morning, worried about the picture being crumpled, she carefully placed it in 
   1.231 +her kawaii little scrapbook before going to school.
   1.232 +
   1.233 +
   1.234 + Then, and forever after, Nadeshiko would be her most precious memory.
   1.235 +
   1.236 +