Cardcaptor Nadeshiko

 Chapter 1

 by G.P. and Amazoness Duo

 pearsong1954@yahoo.com

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 Spring came all in a rush that year, brusquely chasing away winter's chill. Nadeshiko was drawn 

 to the burgeoning sunshine like all the plants and animals that bloomed and stirred after a long 

 hibernation. The park near her house was closed for construction, but an indulgent mother 

 cheerfully ferried the girl and her cousin to the nearby park at Tomoeda. Stopping in a crowded 

 lot, Nadeshiko's mother bustled the children to the edge of the just-green grass. Sitting on her 

 heels, she earnestly looked at her daughter as she spoke,

 

 "Nadeshiko-chan, I want you to stay in the park, and be careful. Please don't wander around, and 

 stick by Sonomi-chan, OK? Nadeshiko-chan?"

 

 But the girl was already lost in the budding branches and twittering birds. Her emerald eyes 

 sparkled in wonder as she clasped her hands and hopped excitedly. A little zephyr teasingly 

 tossed her long, silvery hair, as if inviting the beautiful child to come and play. With a sigh, 

 her mother smiled and looked at her daughter's companion.

 

 Born nine months before her flighty cousin, Sonomi's height and serious manner made her seem more

 mature than her 10 years.  Wearing her reddish-auburn hair in two long, practical pigtails, and 

 dressed in a pretty white skirt with a frilly, long-sleeve mint-green blouse, she looked 

 perfectly attired for the cool, spring day. Nadeshiko's mother placed her hand on the girl's 

 shoulder and gazed into her sky-blue eyes. With a pleading smile, she said,

 

 "Please try and watch out for her, Sonomi-chan."

 

 Sonomi bowed quickly and answered, "Hai."

 

 The Amamiya woman stood and said,  "Il be back at three o'clock to pick you up. Oh, and here's 

 some money for lunch. They have a nice little stand that sells snacks over by the playground. 

 Have a fun time!"

 

 As the older woman waved and walked away, Sonomi bowed, but her daughter was already running 

 towards the bushes, quickly followed by her nearly frantic cousin. Poised to enter the car, she 

 watched them from a distance. Her precious daughter, growing up so fast! With a smile and a 

 sigh, she started the engine and drove away.

 

 Nadeshiko tilted back her head and stared at the sky. She began to twirl about; arms spread 

 wide, giggling, slowly gaining speed as the dancing dizziness took her. Laughing, she collapsed 

 in a heap as the shimmering world tilted and spun. Lying back in the grass, shading her eyes 

 from the dazzling sun, she slowly regained her equilibrium. Puffy white clouds hovered in the 

 turquoise sky, drifting gently on some unseen breeze. The little girl loved simple things. Each 

 leaf and pebble, every grain of sand and drop of briny water at the beach was a world of it's 

 own. She could stare for hours at droplets trickling down a rainy-day window, or fat, white 

 snowflakes silently falling. Boredom was an alien emotion she had never experienced, for there 

 was always something to catch and teasingly hold her attention. Closing her eyes, feeling the 

 world swirling about in the inner darkness, she heard a voice softly calling,

 

 "Nadeshiko-chan, you shouldn't spin around like that. You'll make yourself sick."

 

 Her eyelashes fluttered, and a slightly tilting Sonomi filled her vision. Sonomi-chan! For a 

 moment she lay there, gazing at the solemnly beautiful girl sitting by her side. She felt 

 ice-blue eyes regarding her with loving care and concern. Smiling, she reached out and lightly 

 took one of the swaying pigtails in her hand. Fascinated, she traced the contours of the 

 twisting braids with her fingers, her eyes following the terra-cotta curves of the girl's 

 lustrous hair. In a whispery voice she asked,

 

 "Sonomi-chan, can you show me how to braid my hair like this? It's so pretty."

 

 Sonomi blinked in momentary confusion. Feeling her hair in the hand of the gorgeous girl left 

 her breathless and blushing. She felt a flash of irritation at herself for being so surprised at 

 her cousin's sudden change of topic. She was often blindsided by the strange girl's erratic 

 thoughts and actions. With an inner sigh, she conceded the impossibility of sticking to the 

 original topic. Rather than continuing her lecture on the dangers of dizziness, she let herself 

 go with the unpredictable flow. She was also aware of the crimson-hot blush spreading across her 

 cheeks as she answered,

 

 "Thank you, Nadeshiko-chan. I'd love to show you how to braid your hair someday."

 

 For a while Nadeshiko was silent, lost in contemplation. Then she sat up, gazing at Sonomi. Her 

 cousin looked away, blushing again, unable to voice the feelings she barely understood. Nadeshiko

 stood and suddenly started singing to herself, beaming down at Sonomi. She teetered for a few 

 halting steps, giggling at her fading dizziness. Sonomi shot up to steady her, and was suddenly 

 hugged by her cousin. The slender body embraced her tightly, nearly overwhelming her in a storm 

 of scented, silvery hair. Again she heard the soft, feathery voice,

 

 "I love you, Sonomi-chan."

 

 Sonomi was dumbstruck. Nadeshiko baffled her, enchanted her, and set her heart racing. Around 

 the girl her emotions were always in a whirl, robbing her of speech and reason. All she could do 

 was hug back with a fierce, mysterious affection. Finally, Nadeshiko laughed in a high-pitched 

 trill, then dashed away like some nymph in the forest. Sonomi breathlessly watched her go, shook 

 off the odd urge to cry, and then sprinted off to make sure she was all right.

 

 All that day they played in the park. The spring sun warmed them, and the buds and blossoms, 

 shaking off the shackles of winter, cheered them with the news that all life comes ‘round again. 

 They nibbled little crackers and snacks, and Nadeshiko bought a sweet potato from a broken-down 

 looking truck. Sonomi frowningly said they might get ill from such unlady-like fare, but accepted

 the steaming portion of sweetness from her cousin, secretly reveling in the illicit treat. 

 Finally, they wandered to an open field bordered with sakura trees. The cherry blossoms were in 

 early bloom, floating over the grassy expanse like pink and white clouds. Nadeshiko squealed in 

 delight and ran to greet her favorite flowers. Sonomi trailed along behind, half watching a group

  of older boys playing baseball at the far end of the field. One of them, large and muscular, 

 swung hard and knocked himself down, laughing all the while. But the next pitch he pulverized, 

 the ball leaping off his bat, rocketing past the outfield, towards the sakura trees, and, Sonomi 

 realized in horror, right at Nadeshiko-chan.

 

 Nadeshiko stopped running as soon as she reached the first tree. She looked up at the sky, 

 dappled sunlight scattered by thousands of sakura blossoms waving gently in the breeze. Reaching 

 up with delicate fingers, she touched a satiny flower, felt the hard, rough branch and a slick, 

 shimmering green leaf. Overflowing with indescribable joy, eyes drinking in the quivering beauty,

 she smiled. She felt her body melting away, her ephemeral frame vaporizing in a spray of light. 

 For an instant she saw with the eyes of the tree, old eyes that had watched a hundred thousand 

 sunsets and millions of stars spinning in the black satin sky. She saw the world of trees, where 

 time meanders in a slow and steady flow, where people and birds and bugs chatter and eat and 

 pass away in an instant. And then, she saw the ball, a streak of white lightning blazing straight

 at her, at the flowers and buds and branches, at the fragile flesh and bone of her pale, 

 porcelain face. She heard a thin scream, wailing from far away, calling a name, her name? But 

 she stood still, entranced by the dipping arc of the ball as it sailed towards her, gathering 

 speed in descent, whispering of pain and disfigurement and dark, seductive death. As the white 

 blur approached, crashing through the twigs and leaves, sending up a shower of pretty, pink 

 sakura blossoms, she felt a sudden pressure on her arm and shoulder, a jarring shove knocking 

 her off balance. Her eyes followed the slow-motion flight of the ball as she fell, it's course 

 straight and true even as it's target tilted away. The ball struck, cushioned by her thick, 

 silken hair, glancing off the side of her head. In a flash her vision grayed and faded, and the 

 blackness took her.

 

 Sonomi exploded in a desperate sprint, a fatal race against the streaking ball. As she strained 

 every muscles and sinew, she saw Nadeshiko transfixed, watching the sky. She screamed her name 

 even as her lungs gasped for air, but the girl ignored her. Panic and fear were swallowed in a 

 longing for speed as all thoughts and feelings gave way to a singularity of instinct. As 

 Nadeshiko filled her vision she leapt like a panther for the kill, outstretched fingers clawing 

 at the innocent girl. Her momentum shoved her cousin back with a sudden snap, but too late, as 

 the ball hit her head with a sickening thud. The two tumbled to the ground together, but Sonomi 

 quickly sprang back up and knelt by Nadeshiko's side. Her eyes closed, the girl lay still as 

 death in the sweet, spring grass. Sonomi felt an icy dread gripping her chest as she stared at 

 the broken doll figure splayed in the grass, silvery hair spread like a fan, framing the 

 beautiful, lifeless face. The unthinkable tore at her self-control like some frenzied animal. 

 She trembled, tears falling freely, dotting Nadeshiko's creamy white ice-cream dress like little 

 raindrops. She was oblivious to the breathless voice behind her, 

 

 "No. Oh, no."

 

 The teenage boy in the baseball uniform knelt on the other side of the fallen girl, concern 

 etched in his face. He reached out and took the girl's slender wrist, feeling for a pulse. The 

 relief poured out in his gentle voice,

 

 "She's alive. Thank goodness. I was so afraid. My, my house is right over there. Let's take her 

 there, OK?"

 

 Sonomi, still in shock, nodded as the sempai easily lifted the stricken girl, carefully cradling 

 her head in his large arms. 

 

 Nadeshiko slowly awoke in shadowy darkness, with only a thin trickle of sunlight eking past the 

 drawn shades of an unfamiliar room. Fragments of dreams lingered as her eyes focused on the dimly

 lit ceiling. She scanned the unfamiliar space, and then heard the music again. The music from her

 dreams, the music she had followed while she slept. Slept? Why was she sleeping in a funny room 

 like this? But the music called to her again, and she sat up, listening. She stood, a bit 

 unsteady at first, and then tiptoed to the door. The music was behind there, behind that door. 

 Curious, she opened it a crack, and heard the music swell. It was some sort of dance music, a 

 Western waltz, maybe. Her eyes were already used to the darkness, and she carefully crept down 

 the creaking stairs. Awareness of a headache slowly came, but in her fascination with the 

 alluring music she ignored it. Finally, she reached the basement floor, and found herself in the 

 middle of a library. 

 

 There were all manner of books packed on the shelves, most of them very old looking, with titles 

 in languages she could not read. She followed the delightfully cheery music, looking for a radio 

 or phonograph. But there were only books. Finally, she paused, puzzled, and simply listened to 

 the wonderful tune. She smiled. And then she began to dance.

 

 Holding the scalloped hem of her dress, she slowly began to twirl and step to the music. She 

 was, at times, something of a clumsy girl, and wondered if that explained the bump on her head 

 that she felt just now. But she danced with an easy grace, and was charming to behold. Her mother

 had enrolled her in dance class at an early age, and if she lacked the burning desire and 

 ambition of the other girls, her natural beauty and poise had quickly won over the instructors. 

 The Russian woman told her mother that the girl had the natural talent to be a professional 

 ballerina, and that in the old country she would have been boarded at one of the great ballet 

 schools and molded properly. But Nadeshiko was too easily distracted, and her sweetness too 

 potent for the teachers to apply the harsh discipline needed to bend her to their will. Yet when 

 she danced, the other students watched, some in awe and some in envy, for she seemed to them 

 like some fugitive from the realms of Faerie.

 

 So she danced, green eyes sparkling, hair loose and free, bare feet tracing deft patterns on the 

 dusty floor. The magic buried deep inside of her awoke, and shone forth like a blazing beacon of 

 pure, white light. In the cramped spaces of the dark basement she leapt and spun, a shimmering 

 whirlwind of pirouettes and swirls. Then her motions slowed, fingers tracing slow circles in the 

 air, timidly tip-toeing like a fawn in the deep forest. Gyrating, gliding with light-footed ease,

 she danced for the music whose source she could not see. But she was seen, and watched with 

 surprise, delight, and yearning. Suddenly leaping high, then descending airily, her dress 

 ruffling like gossamer in the wind, she was startled by a thudding sound on the ground by her 

 tiny feet. The music stopped, and so did her dance. Curious, she bent over and picked the book 

 up. It was an odd volume, ancient by it's look, heavy, and thick with dust. She brushed it off, 

 and saw the image of a winged, golden lion on the back, and strange moons and a sun on the front.

 The book was fastened with metallic clasp, and as she examined it more closely she realized that 

 it was a western book, and the lion was actually on the front cover. But what could be in such a 

 strange and marvelous volume? Why was it locked tight? Aching to know, her agile fingers 

 carefully pried the clasp. At first resistent, it suddenly sprang open with a click that sounded 

 distressingly loud in the quiet basement. 

 

 Nadeshiko gently opened the book and was amazed to find not pages, but a recessed hollow 

 containing what looked like cards. She carefully placed the book on the floor, and took out the 

 top card. It was so beautiful! On it was a young woman in a magical dress that looked just like 

 a blossom. Her hair was worn in two twirly cones, with little spiral tresses dangling at the 

 ends. She had flowers for earrings, and smiled beatifically, eyes closed, as petals rained down 

 upon her. There were strange, petal-like symbols on her forehead and breast. The mysterious 

 figure was bordered by a frame with the sun on top, two seven-pointed stars on each side, and a 

 crescent moon at her feet. She was absolutely adorable, and Nadeshiko loved her at first sight. 

 Her name was written in Romanic letters, in the English language that always baffled the girl at 

 school. Nadeshiko struggled to remember the complex patterns of sound that the alien letters 

 formed,

 

 "Teh...heh.....ee...The, The!  Foo...Row..." She struggled with the impossible "L" sound. 

 Concentrating, her tongue feeling odd and thick, she tried again,

 

 "The...Fo...low...her......Follow?....The Flower!" 

 

 The excitment of discovery lit up her face, and in the same instant the card was lit with an 

 equally sudden, oscillating white light. She felt the card fall, or leap, from her hand, and was 

 momentarily blinded by the shatteringly brilliant light. Falling backwards in surprise and 

 banging into a bookshelf, she barely kept on her feet. Painfully squinting her eyes, the room 

 was illuminated in a soft, pale, glow. Gradually growing used to the brightness, she discerned 

 the outline of a figure in front of her. At the same time she caught the unmistakable scent of 

 flowers, hundreds of flowers mingled together, gardens and greenhouses and fields full of 

 flowers. With a start, she recognized the outline of the figure before her as the beautiful 

 young woman in the card. 

 

 Open-mouthed, she gasped as the woman slowly approached her. Regarding her with luminous, 

 multi-hued eyes, the flowery creature dipped in a pretty little curtsey.  Not quite sure what 

 else to do, Nadeshiko held the hem of her dress and offered her own curtsey in return. This 

 brought a musical giggle from the woman, who smiled and leaned closer, regarding the barefoot 

 girl with fascination. She reached out a hand, and gently ran her fingers through the long, 

 silvery hair. Resting her palm on the girl’s cheek, Nadeshiko closed her eyes, nearly 

 overwhelmed by the sweet scent of roses and lilies. Her eyes shot open as she felt a hand 

 embrace her waist, pulling her closer as the music swelled. When the woman took her other hand 

 and held her close, Nadeshiko blushed. This brought more giggles from the strange new 

 acquaintance as she neatly stepped into the pace of the music. 

 

 And so they danced, Nadeshiko quickly falling into the rhythm of her taller partner. She had 

 danced with other girls in her class, but never with someone like this. The two swept over the 

 floor in a graceful arc, the girl following her partner step by step. At first, Nadeshiko 

 labored to keep up, but she quickly gained familiarity with the pattern, and soon gave herself 

 over to the motion and the music. There was a dreamy, unreal quality to the dance, and the girl 

 was aware that as they spun and dipped, a flurry of flower petals were left in their wake. As 

 the tempo picked up, they whirled about faster and faster, whipping up the air into a little 

 cyclone. The books were shaken on the shelves, and Nadeshiko saw the cards in the mysterious 

 book she had found thrown into the air, glowing and shimmering, spinning along with their dance. 

 Finally, the cards burst through the ceiling in a blaze of light, slipping through the wooden 

 surface like pebbles dropped in a lake. Astonished, concerned, and breathless from the waltz, 

 Nadeshiko spoke in a panicky whisper, “Please stop.”

 

 In an instant, Flower flowed like liquid back into her card as Nadeshiko watched in stunned 

 silence. Dizzy from all the twirling and spinning, the girl picked up the card in one hand, and 

 felt her throbbing head with the other. Suddenly, a high-pitched voice shrieked out behind her, 

 and the already disoriented girl leapt into the air,

 

 “The Cards!”

 

 Nadeshiko quickly bowed her apologies, “Gomenesai, I, Umm, it was all my fault. I didn’t know 

 that the dancing would scatter them so.” 

 

 But as she peeked to see the feet of the owner of the voice, there was nothing but empty floor. 

 Puzzled, she raised her eyes higher, and finally saw a small, winged little creature, paws on 

 his cheek, staring dumbstruck at the now empty book on the floor. Nadeshiko stood up and stared 

 in turn. Despite it’s obvious distress, the little animal was irresistibly kawaii, and with a 

 delighted squeel the girl grabbed the creature and smothered it in a giggling hug. Squirming away

 from the demonstrative stranger, the furry animal shot back in an accusatory tone,

 

 “Who are you? Where did the Cards go? How did they get free?”

 

 Giggling, Nadeshiko bowed and answered brightly, “I’m Amamiya Nadeshiko.” Then, clasping her 

 hands behind her back, she leaned forward and continued, “I’m so very sorry if I lost your cards.

 I guess it happened when Flower and I were dancing. She’s such an amazing dancer, and I guess we 

 set too fast a pace. “

 

 The furry creature regarded her with a suspicious gaze and asked, “How did Flower get free. Did 

 you see who did it?”

 

 Nadeshiko tilted her head, placing her fingertip on her cheek as she tried to remember, “Well, I 

 don’t really know. I first saw her appear after I said her name written on the card.”

 

 Wings beating faster, the hovering animal looked at her in disbelief, “You set her free? But you 

 aren’t the Card Captor. You can’t be.”

 

 Nadeshiko smiled and replied, “I don’t know what that is, a Card Captor, I mean. If I see that 

 person, I’ll be happy to tell you.”

 

 “You spoke Flower’s name,” the creature asked. The girl smilingly nodded her assent. 

 

 “And then she appeared.” Again, the smile and the nod. The little animal continued to regard her,

 as if measuring her against some hidden standard. Finally, he asked,

 

 “You opened the book.”

 

 Still smiling, she replied, “The Book.”

 

 He nodded.

 

 “THE Book.” She stated definitively. 

 

 Again, he nodded. With a puzzled look she asked, 

 

 “What book is that?”

 

 After his dizziness cleared, the animal squeeked angrily, “Baka! The Clow Book! The book with 

 all the cards in it.”

 

 Nadeshiko’s expression brightened, “Oh, THAT book! Yes, I opened it. That’s where I saw the 

 Flower card. I wonder what other cards were in there.” She stood lost in this new thought. 

 

 He gazed at her wonderingly, thinking to himself, “Is she the one? How can it possibly be her? 

 Something about all this seems so wrong. But she says she opened the Book, and summoned The 

 Flower.  And she sent her back; I saw that with my own eyes. How could she possibly do that 

 unless…” Finally, he spoke up in a rolling, portentous voice,

 

 “Yes, now I see. I can see that you are indeed the Card Captor of legend. I am the Beast of the 

 Seal, Kereberous the Golden, Guardian of the Cards, and for 300 years my vision has never failed.

 Even now, the challenge of the Cards calls to us. Come, Card Captor, for our work begins!”  

 

 Kereberous struck an awesome pose, a formidable combination of determination, will, and hearty 

 good fellowship. In response, Nadeshiko replied,

 

 “I wonder if there were any other flowers in there. Oh, or maybe other pretty things, like cute 

 little netsuke, or maybe some yummy food cards!”

 

 Kereberous stared in disbelief at the girl, oblivious to everything he had said. Holding a paw 

 to his bowed head he released an exasperated sigh. As he was about to speak again, a desperate 

 scream rose from the floor above, “Nadeshiko-chan? Nadeshiko-chan! Where are you?”

 

 The girl looked up at the ceiling and whispered, “Sonomi-chan?”