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     1.4 +Cardcaptor Nadeshiko
     1.5 +Chapter 4
     1.6 +by 
     1.7 +Amazoness Duo
     1.8 +and
     1.9 +G.P.
    1.10 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.11 +pearsong1954@yahoo.com
    1.12 +
    1.13 +I.
    1.14 +Nadeshiko sat huddled by the windowsill, intent on the rays of sunshine filtering through the
    1.15 +glass. With emerald eyes, she scrutinized the delicate crystal swan cradled in her hands. Suddenly, the light caught a new facet of the beveled wing, showering the tatami mat with a 
    1.16 +fiery rainbow of color. The little girl let out a shrieking squeal of delight at this latest
    1.17 + display. Fascinated by the morning’s little light show, she remained oblivious to the 
    1.18 +footsteps growing louder on the stairs. Nor did she notice the gentle rapping on the door 
    1.19 +that soon became a frantic pounding. Not even the worried voice of the old man could rouse 
    1.20 +her,
    1.21 +
    1.22 +"Miss? Little Miss? Are you all right? Please open the door. I’ll have to break it down if...,
    1.23 + oh, oh, it’s not locked. Forgive me, Miss, but I am opening the door now. Oh, I hope she is 
    1.24 +all right. I hope she is all right."
    1.25 +
    1.26 +
    1.27 +Through wars, typhoons, and earthquakes, the old man had served three generations of 
    1.28 +Amamiyas, but rarely had he known such fear. Peering into the enormous sunroom of the 
    1.29 +family's summer cottage, he saw the little girl curled up into a ball by the shimmering 
    1.30 +picture window. She was utterly still and motionless, and his heart sank. Tottering over 
    1.31 +as quickly as his ancient legs would go, he reached with a trembling hand and gently touched 
    1.32 +her shoulder. In a halting whisper he asked,
    1.33 +
    1.34 +
    1.35 +"Nadeshiko-sama, are you all right?"
    1.36 +
    1.37 +
    1.38 +Reacting to the tentative touch, the little girl suddenly whirled around, all smiles. In 
    1.39 +a cheery, sing-song voice she replied,
    1.40 +
    1.41 +
    1.42 +"Hai, ojiisan. Look at all the colors! Aren't they beautiful? Where do they come from? Are 
    1.43 +the colors inside the crystal? How do they get out? How do they all fit in? Does the sunlight
    1.44 + unlock them somehow? I have to ask grandfather, but he won't be back until tomorrow. I know!
    1.45 + I'll ask Teddy-chan. He knows lots of things." 
    1.46 +
    1.47 +
    1.48 +Clutching the crystal swan, the girl dashed down the hallway to her room, silvery hair 
    1.49 +trailing like the wisps of a little cloud. The old man slumped to the floor, letting out a 
    1.50 +slow, relieved breath. Smiling at last, he thought, "I hope her imaginary friend has better
    1.51 + nerves than I."
    1.52 +
    1.53 +Except that this particular imaginary friend was anything but. Teddy-chan, or Kereberous, as he
    1.54 + preferred, spun the top and watched with glee as it zipped across the floor. Hovering in the 
    1.55 +air like a hummingbird, he followed the spinning toy on its journey across the parquet floor.
    1.56 + When the breathless girl burst through the door, He jumped in surprise, then smiled with
    1.57 + satisfaction at the thought, "The legendary Cardcaptor. And I found her."
    1.58 +
    1.59 +Standing before him, catching her breath after running down the lengthy hallway, the girl
    1.60 + suddenly burst out,
    1.61 +"Teddy-chan, what makes the colors in my swan?" 
    1.62 +
    1.63 +Then, remembering her manners, she suddenly dipped a bow before continuing, "Ohayo, 
    1.64 +Teddy-chan. Do you know what makes the colors happen when the sunlight is on my swan? I was 
    1.65 +going to ask grandfather, but he won't be back until tomorrow. Do you know?"
    1.66 +
    1.67 +
    1.68 +Folding his arms and bowing his head with thoughtful concern, the Seal Beast called upon 
    1.69 +his ageless wisdom to answer his eager pupil,
    1.70 +
    1.71 +"Colors, yes, of course, of course. The colors happen because, well, it is hard to explain
    1.72 + exactly why the colors happen the way they do. Perhaps you could show me which colors you 
    1.73 +mean?"
    1.74 +
    1.75 +The little girl gleefully produced the sparkling crystal, and shifted it in the morning light
    1.76 + streaming through her window. Suddenly, a dazzling blue-green ray flashed forth, lighting up 
    1.77 +the wall in a tiny rainbow. Teddy gaped in wonder as Nadeshiko giggled in delight.
    1.78 +
    1.79 +"How, how did you...what is that?" He stared in amazement. At first, the girl had seemed 
    1.80 +the unlikeliest of Card Captors. Had he not seen the capricious Flower obey her without
    1.81 + hesitation, he would never have believed it. No one would pick her out of a crowd as the
    1.82 + successor to the fearsome Clow Reed. His memories of the great magician were vague and dark,
    1.83 + much like the man himself. He remembered a quiet and reserved figure who could command with a
    1.84 + glance, and force submission with the slightest of gestures. One by one, the mightiest of Hong
    1.85 + Kong had challenged him, and in the end all had failed. His power seemed without limit, and in
    1.86 + the end it twisted his soul and he became fell and frightful. Hazier still were the Beast’s
    1.87 + feelings for his master. Sometimes at night he lay awake and the memories took him, memories 
    1.88 +of fear, love, and awe. And now, bringing him more confusion was this girl. 
    1.89 +
    1.90 +
    1.91 +Guarding the Cards for so long, he had nearly forgotten his purpose, the last command of his
    1.92 + Master. Though every sign pointed to her, he still could not shed his doubts that something had
    1.93 + gone wrong, and that this girl, though obviously connected to the Cards, was not the one. But 
    1.94 +he had made his choice, and would stick it out to the bitter end. And bitter it would be should
    1.95 +she fail. Shaking off these hidden doubts, the fluttering beast returned to his learned lecture,
    1.96 +
    1.97 +"This magical light is a mystery, and hard to explain. But as you gather more Cards, and
    1.98 +more power, it will all become clear to you."
    1.99 +
   1.100 +With wide eyes the girl stared at him, smiling in delight. Suddenly she grabbed him, squeezing
   1.101 +the little creature frantically as she sang out,
   1.102 +
   1.103 +Oh, thank you, Teddy-chan! I can’t wait to have more friends. I love Jump and Flower so much!
   1.104 +When do you think we can find more Cards? Where do you think they are?
   1.105 +
   1.106 +Squirming away, the blushing, exasperated Beast of the Seal struggled to maintain his cool, 
   1.107 +
   1.108 +“I don’t know where they are. They, they have their own minds, and some of them are a bit, well,
   1.109 +erratic. But they won't all be as easy to find and capture as Jump.”
   1.110 +
   1.111 +Nadeshiko gazed earnestly at the ruffled Teddy-chan, 
   1.112 +
   1.113 +“That’s all right. I know we can find them if we try our hardest.” The girl rose and walked
   1.114 +lightly to the window that overlooked the forest encircling the lake. Lost in thought she
   1.115 +whispered to herself,
   1.116 +
   1.117 +“I wonder if there are any in there?”
   1.118 +
   1.119 +
   1.120 +II. 
   1.121 +Nadeshiko sat on the grass and arranged the folds of her voluminous blue satin dress. It was a
   1.122 +gift from her grandfather, and Teddy said that a Card Captor should be properly attired so as to
   1.123 +impress the Cards with her grandeur. This was the grandest thing she could think of wearing,
   1.124 +though it made walking through the tight undergrowth of the forest a little difficult. Finally
   1.125 +satisfied, she unpacked her o-bento. The chef had made it for her, delighted by the oohs and 
   1.126 +ahhs of his appreciative audience of one. She nibbled the cold, sticky rice with her chopsticks
   1.127 +and listened to the distant rumble of a summer thunderstorm. But here it was sunny and bright; a
   1.128 +hot, humid, lazy summer day that lulled the senses. Crunching on a pink, pickled radish, she
   1.129 +thought of all the cards that might lie in wait inside the woods. So eager to begin looking that
   1.130 +she rose before dawn, then slipped out of the summer mansion with only the chef knowing she was
   1.131 +awake. Even Teddy-chan snored through it all, she thought with a giggle.  
   1.132 +
   1.133 +Nadeshiko yawned and stretched, running her fingers through the green blades of grass in the
   1.134 +little dale. All that morning and much of the afternoon she searched the woods with no sign of
   1.135 +the cards. The forest was so much larger than she remembered from walks with her mother and
   1.136 +grandfather. It was also hard to get one's bearings. There were so many wonderful trees! Each 
   1.137 +one looked and somehow felt different, and yet it seemed like she was seeing the same trees 
   1.138 +while walking about. This was an odd puzzle, but it really didn't matter. Here was a beautiful
   1.139 +day, and she was eating a yummy lunch on the soft, soft, grass. That she was hopelessly lost
   1.140 +never occurred to her, and even if it had, the thought would have left her placidly unconcerned.
   1.141 +Full after eating only half of the delicious o-bento,  the girl carefully re-wrapped it and then
   1.142 +curled up in the shade of a massive oak tree. Sleep came swiftly, and as she drowsed the
   1.143 +afternoon away, squirrels and birds peered in silent amazement at the strange little sleeping
   1.144 +beauty.
   1.145 +
   1.146 +All was not silent at the Amamiya summer mansion. After the disappearance of little
   1.147 +Nadeshiko-sama became known, the household was in chaos. The tearful chef only knew she had 
   1.148 +taken her o-bento dressed in a beautiful blue outfit that was entirely inappropriate for out of
   1.149 +doors. But a thorough search of the massive mansion had turned up nothing, and the searchers
   1.150 +reluctantly expanded their scope to include the grounds and lake. With fear and trepedation they
   1.151 +phoned Amamiya-sama, who rushed to the mansion. Stepping out of his limousine, he quickly took
   1.152 +charge of the frantic servants and organized search parties to find his missing granddaughter. 
   1.153 +In his wake was a stunned-looking Sonomi, who had insisted on accompanying him when she
   1.154 +discovered his reason for leaving the family's long-planned Sunday dinner. As the large bearded
   1.155 +man grimly set the gardeners to dragging the lake, Sonomi slipped away and rushed to the room 
   1.156 +her cousin had been staying. Bursting through the door, she found a nervous Seal Beast peering
   1.157 +out the window. Without pause she demanded frantically,
   1.158 +
   1.159 +"Where is she?"
   1.160 +
   1.161 +Teddy-chan spun about in surprise, then slumped to the ground,
   1.162 +
   1.163 +"I don't know."
   1.164 +
   1.165 +Sonomi snapped back angrily,
   1.166 +
   1.167 +"What do you mean, you don't know? I thought you were her guardian or something?"
   1.168 +
   1.169 +Teddy looked to the side, avoiding the ice-blue eyes of the furious child. In a quiet voice he
   1.170 +replied,
   1.171 +
   1.172 +"She left while I was asleep. I heard the chef telling them she got her lunch before it was
   1.173 +light. But nobody knows where she went. I heard someone say that with the lake she may have..."
   1.174 +The words died in his throat.
   1.175 +
   1.176 +Sonomi dropped to the floor, her anger giving way to despair. For several minutes she sat on the
   1.177 +floor, trying not to sob. Finally, she blinked her eyes and spoke to the Seal Beast in a
   1.178 +carefully measured tone,
   1.179 +
   1.180 +"Nadeshiko-chan would never go swimming all by herself, so she didn’t drown in the lake. She 
   1.181 +must be somewhere else. Did she give you any clue? Did she say anything at all about where she
   1.182 +might be?"
   1.183 +
   1.184 +Looking up in surprise, Teddy chan suddenly grew thoughtful. He spoke slowly, struggling to
   1.185 +remember every detail, 
   1.186 +
   1.187 +"Last night she was talking about the cards, asking me where they might be. Oh, yes, she said
   1.188 +something about wondering where they might be while she was looking out the window."
   1.189 +
   1.190 +Revelation spread across both their faces as they simultaniously sprang up and ran to the 
   1.191 +massive picture window. The vast forest spread out before them, a fiery red carpet of trees lit
   1.192 +by the westering sun. The girl and the diminutive Seal Beast looked at each other and nodded.
   1.193 +Sonomi whispered, 
   1.194 +
   1.195 +"It’ll be dark soon, so I’ll go find a flashlight. We can't tell them why she went there, so 
   1.196 +make sure nobody sees us."
   1.197 +
   1.198 +With that, the girl dashed out the door. In a few minutes she returned, flashlight in hand. In
   1.199 +stealthy silence, the two slipped out of the house and vanished into the woods.
   1.200 +
   1.201 +III. 
   1.202 +
   1.203 +Still as a statue, the little girl sat bathed in moonlight. It helped when her eyes were closed,
   1.204 +so she was oblivious to the little cloud of fireflies dancing about her head. There was no doubt
   1.205 +that a Clow Card was nearby. It was sort of like being hungry before the big New Year's dinner.
   1.206 +Even if you weren’t allowed in the kitchen, you could sense the delicacies being prepared. In 
   1.207 +the same way she knew the Clow card was nearby, it's scent wafting in from the forest. She could
   1.208 +feel it watching her, hesitant but interested. At first, she had pursued it through the
   1.209 +impenetrable forest, but the mysterious card always stayed a step ahead. Laughing quietly to
   1.210 +herself, she wished she had Sonomi's speed so she could run and catch it. But with all the trees
   1.211 +everywhere, such speed probably wouldn't be very useful, anyway. For the same reason, she had
   1.212 +rejected the idea of using Jump. So she resolved to simply sit and wait, and let the card come 
   1.213 +to her when it wanted to. It was like meeting someone new at school.  At first, they would be 
   1.214 +shy and hesitant, even if they wanted to be friends. She was certain the card would like to meet
   1.215 +her, but perhaps it was afraid, too. So, instead of chasing and scaring it away, she sat down in
   1.216 +the little clearing and waited. She was a surprisingly patient girl, and could be very good at
   1.217 +waiting when she wanted to.
   1.218 +
   1.219 +Further away in the forest, Sonomi was also sitting. But unlike her cousin, she was not waiting
   1.220 +patiently, but thinking frantically. All that kept a river of tears from flowing was her
   1.221 +desperate resolution to find Nadeshiko. She willed herself not to cry. Crying would be an
   1.222 +admission of defeat and an acknowledgement that something terrible had happened to her beautiful
   1.223 +cousin, and neither possibility was acceptable. So instead, she sat deep in thought, puzzling 
   1.224 +out the girl’s disappearance. Finally she looked up at the hovering Seal Beast and asked,
   1.225 +
   1.226 +“Where is the Clow Card?”
   1.227 +
   1.228 +The fluttering creature, startled by the sudden break in the silence, gave her a curious look,
   1.229 +“Eh?”
   1.230 +
   1.231 +She repeated herself patiently, “Do you know where the Clow Card is that she is looking for?”
   1.232 +
   1.233 +Shaking his head, Teddy-chan scanned the dark woods and answered, 
   1.234 +
   1.235 +“My powers are diminished in this form, but it seems to be over there somewhere.”  He gestured
   1.236 +towards the Northeast with a little paw. “But even if she is following it, she could be
   1.237 +anywhere.”
   1.238 +
   1.239 +Sonomi frowned as she stood, dusting off the leaves from her skirt. With a quick breath and a
   1.240 +smile, she faced the flying creature and said, “No, she isn’t anywhere. She has to be somewhere.
   1.241 +But we’ll never know just where by sitting here. She must be following the card, and if it’s
   1.242 +that’s where it is, then she is, too. Let’s go.”
   1.243 +
   1.244 +With that, they plunged into the forest. After a few moments, Teddy-chan stopped and pulled a
   1.245 +small strip of blue fabric from a bramble bush. Holding it out to Sonomi he asked, “What’s this?”
   1.246 +
   1.247 +Sonomi took the fabric and turned it over in her hands. It was made of sleek satin, colored a
   1.248 +vibrant cobalt-blue. The girl instantly broke out in a broad grin and exclaimed, “That’s
   1.249 +Nadeshiko’s! It’s from a dress grandfather gave her for Christmas, I’m sure of it! And this 
   1.250 +break in the trees looks like some sort trail. She must have gone this way.” 
   1.251 +
   1.252 +The Seal Beast smiled and nodded, and they both rushed down the pathway. As they walked, 
   1.253 +Sonomi’s flashlight illuminated other scraps of Nadeshiko’s dress. Following these inadvertent
   1.254 +little signposts, they eventually came to edge of a clearing. There they stopped, both staring
   1.255 +open-mouthed at the moonlit scene before them. 
   1.256 +
   1.257 +At the other end of the little dale, perhaps a hundred feet away, Nadeshiko sat in her tattered
   1.258 +dress. In front of her stood Flower. The strange woman was fidgety, shifting back and forth as 
   1.259 +if standing still was unbearable. Practically entwined with her was another woman, all clad in
   1.260 +green, luminous and shimmering, gently swaying in the breeze that rustled through the branches
   1.261 +above them. Nadeshiko’s musical laughter carried over the field like a bell. When the shock of
   1.262 +this sight wore off, Sonomi let out a shout mingled with relief and exultation and began to run.
   1.263 +The green-tinged woman was startled, and seemed ready to bolt, but Flower hugged her tightly,
   1.264 +soothing her with reassuring caresses. Nadeshiko turned about, smiled as she rose, and leapt 
   1.265 +into the arms of her onrushing cousin. 
   1.266 +
   1.267 +The two girls embraced in joy and relief. After several minutes they separated, and Sonomi gazed
   1.268 +at her cousin in horror. The pretty face was bruised and scratched, a trickle of blood on her
   1.269 +pale, slender neck. The silvery-gray hair was in disarray, entangled with twigs and leaves. Her
   1.270 +dress was torn and ripped, and one shoe was missing. Trembling fearfully, Sonomi somehow managed
   1.271 +to whisper, 
   1.272 +
   1.273 +“Nadeshiko-chan, are, are you all right?”
   1.274 +
   1.275 +Holding her cousin’s hands, the disheveled girl smiled and burst out enthusiastically,
   1.276 +
   1.277 +“Hai! I feel wonderful. I just knew that Wood-sama was here somewhere, and that she was afraid.
   1.278 +That’s why I asked Flower-sama to talk with her, to let her know that I just wanted to be
   1.279 +friends. Isn’t she beautiful, Sonomi-chan? Oh, I’m so sorry, I haven’t introduced you.
   1.280 +Sonomi-chan, this is my wonderful new friend Wood-sama. Wood-sama, this is my very best friend
   1.281 +and cousin, Sonomi-chan.”
   1.282 +
   1.283 +The auburn-haired girl looked slightly flustered as she bowed. Flower leaned over and giggled as
   1.284 +she whispered something in Wood’s ear. Wood blushed as she bowed, eyeing Sonomi curiously. A
   1.285 +little coughing fit interrupted the proceedings, and Nadeshiko quickly added,
   1.286 +
   1.287 +“Oh, and this is Teddy-chan, the Beast of the Seal, who is also my friend.”
   1.288 +
   1.289 +“Long time, no see,” The flying figure announced in a suave voice. Flower curtsied and again
   1.290 +whispered into Wood’s ear, reducing them both to giggles as they regarded the diminutive
   1.291 +guardian. Teddy ignored this possible affront to his dignity as Sonomi, still looking at the
   1.292 +battered Nadeshiko, spoke up,
   1.293 +
   1.294 +“We should get home. Everyone is very worried.”
   1.295 +
   1.296 +Nadeshiko placed her pointer finger to her cheek, trying to figure out just why anyone had cause
   1.297 +to worry. Speaking with authority, Teddy addressed the silver-haired girl,
   1.298 +
   1.299 +“Nadeshiko-chan, there is something that still needs to be done. Do you have your staff?”
   1.300 +
   1.301 +The girl brightened, nodding her head enthusiastically as she answered, “Hai.”
   1.302 +
   1.303 +Stepping forward, straightening out the remnants of her cobalt-blue dress, she bowed to the
   1.304 +verdant woman and spoke,
   1.305 +
   1.306 +“Wood-sama, if I may?”
   1.307 +
   1.308 +Wood took a tentative step forward. She looked carefully at the little girl and smiled. Crossing
   1.309 +her folded hands on her breast and closing her eyes, she waited. Nadeshiko glanced at the Seal
   1.310 +Beast, who nodded, and then carefully touched the woman’s forehead with her staff as she spoke
   1.311 +the chant,
   1.312 +
   1.313 +“Clow Card, return to your true form.”
   1.314 +
   1.315 +The light burst forth, swirling, and eddying around The Wood. As if she had turned to liquid, 
   1.316 +she flowed into a shimmering card that appeared out of nowhere. The card dropped to the grass,
   1.317 +and Nadeshiko picked it up. As she did, Sonomi heard Teddy mutter to himself,
   1.318 +
   1.319 +“They won’t all be this easy.”
   1.320 +
   1.321 +IV.
   1.322 +
   1.323 +For punishment, the cousins were confined to their room for the weekend. It wasn’t much of a
   1.324 +punishment, as the pair chatted and played the days away as if at a slumber party. After a long,
   1.325 +soaking bath, Nadeshiko looked as good as new, save for a few scratches and a bruised shoulder.
   1.326 +Reassured, Sonomi offered to comb out her tangled hair. Nadeshiko sat on the futon, facing away
   1.327 +from Sonomi who sat cross-legged behind her. It was difficult work, with many a tug and pull,
   1.328 +despite her gentle care. Through it all, Nadeshiko was silent, without so much as a whimper.
   1.329 +Working a particularly stubborn mat with her fingers, the auburn-haired girl said,
   1.330 +
   1.331 +“Nadeshiko-chan, your hair is so fine and so long, this is almost impossible. Please don’t ever,
   1.332 +ever do that again.”
   1.333 +
   1.334 +“Do what again, Sonomi-chan?” the girl asked.
   1.335 +
   1.336 +Sonomi considered her answer carefully. She knew she wanted Nadeshiko to give up this crazy card
   1.337 +capturing. Never had she been so frightened as yesterday. But even if she wanted to control
   1.338 +Nadeshiko, she just couldn’t. It would be like caging a beautiful bird. You could make her safe
   1.339 +by taking away her freedom, but you couldn’t make her happy. And nothing meant more to
   1.340 +Sonomi-chan than her cousin’s happiness. With a reluctant little sigh, she replied softly,
   1.341 +
   1.342 +“Don’t go running into the woods with your hair all loose. Let me put it up into braids or
   1.343 +something.”
   1.344 +
   1.345 +“I’d like that, Sonomi-chan. I love when you do my hair.” The girl snuggled comfortably against
   1.346 +Sonomi’s legs as they sat on the futon. Sonomi found herself blushing as she added,
   1.347 +
   1.348 +“And please don’t go after the cards without me. Please tell me before you go, because I want to
   1.349 +be with you.”
   1.350 +
   1.351 +In her sweetly musical voice, the little Card Captor answered, “I’d like that. It’s nice to be
   1.352 +with Sonomi-chan.”
   1.353 +
   1.354 +“Promise?” Sonomi asked.
   1.355 +
   1.356 +“Hai, I promise.” The lilting voice replied.
   1.357 +
   1.358 +Sonomi placed the comb and brush down and hugged her cousin, laying against her back, closing 
   1.359 +her eyes and nestling her cheek in the girl’s sparkling, silvery hair. Still as a fawn in a
   1.360 +moonlit clearing, Nadeshiko whispered,
   1.361 +
   1.362 +“I love you, Sonomi-chan.”
   1.363 +
   1.364 +Sonomi caught her breath and opened her eyes. Trembling, her heart racing, she hugged the 
   1.365 +slender form fiercely and closed her eyes. She was ecstatic, relieved, and uncertain. At long
   1.366 +last, she could cry. 
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