Cardcaptor Nadeshiko
Fly Me Away
by Amazoness Duo
and G.P.
amazonessduo@hotmail.com
pearsong1954@yahoo.com

	All is still. The world is frozen for an eternity, time standing still. Girls lined up
together all kneel forward precariously. Even the wind does not interrupt the moment, leaving
behind an anxious moment of calm. Thoughts are abandoned as the girls all wait silently, as if
awaiting the judgement of the world. A single moment stretches to infinity. In an all too brief
moment, time snaps back into place.
	“Go!”
	Like glass shattering, the silence is over. The girls all bolt from their positions, 
the sudden movement almost a blur. Silent statues transform into swift eagles, darting across 
the track. Like graceful cats, they move fluidly toward their goal. It is closer than any want 
to think about, but feels like it may as well be half a world away. The thunderous stampede of
girls moves inexorably forward, no force in heaven or hell able to stop them. 
	At the front of the pack, an auburn haired girl pushes herself. Further, faster.
Conscious thought escaped her. Or, rather, she refused to let it impede her movement. All that
waited for her was the finishing line. Like a beautiful angel, it beckoned to her, calling her
and her alone. She would be the one to reach it. She would be the one to claim it for her own. 
So she pushed herself further and faster, leaving the other girls behind. Her feet barely 
seemed to touch the ground as she ran, sending her hurtling forward to her eventual goal. The
goal awaited her, calling out her name as she drew nearer. She could hear the other girls behind
her, waiting to pass her. With all of her energy, all of the passion in her soul, she ran 
forward to the embrace of the finish line.
	Looking down at her stopwatch, the coach whistled. “Great time, Amamiya-san. You’re
getting better. You girls better continue practicing if you’re going to keep up with her.”
	The girl in question jogged over to a bench, picking up a towel. Her breathing came
quickly, her heart racing in her chest. It was always such a lovely feeling. A small smile
crossed her lips as she heard her time. Her practice was paying off. Little by little, it was
helping. Sonomi had always been a natural at most athletic events, but track was her favorite. 
It was simple, straightforward. It didn’t matter who you were or what your background was. Boy 
or girl, age or race, it didn’t matter. On the track, it didn’t matter that she was rich or that
her family was important. The only thing that mattered was running. The fastest person won.
Whoever got to the finish line first was the winner. And Sonomi was almost always the first to
the finish line. On the track, she could leave everything behind. All she had to do was run. It
wasn’t confusing like the rest of life. Like things with Nadeshiko. Shaking her head, Sonomi
turned to see her younger cousin nearly bursting with enthusiasm. Sonomi smiled as Nadeshiko
hurried over to her. That was another thing that the young heiress liked about track. Her cousin
was always there to cheer her on. 
	“Sonomi-chan! You ran so fast! I could barely see you!” Nadeshiko said excitedly. The
wind, as if it were finished holding it’s breath while awaiting the girls to run, began to play
with her long, dark hair. Nadeshiko smiled brightly at her cousin, her pale skin almost
glistening under the sunlight.
	Sonomi felt her heart swell at Nadeshiko’s ringing endorsement. She was always happy to
have her cousin watching. The gray haired girl was always so confident in her. It made her feel
like she could accomplish anything with Nadeshiko by her side. It was always nice to have her 
own personal cheerleader. “Arigato, Nadeshiko-chan!” Smiling gratefully, she took the cup of
water from Nadeshiko’s outstretched hands. The water slid graciously past her lips, revitalizing
her exhausted insides. The cold water helped her to forget about the burning sun overhead. 
	“I bet you’re even faster than Terrada-san. He’s the fastest on the boys’ team. But
you’re like a blur, Sonomi-chan. You’re just like the wind.” Nadeshiko brushed her hair back
absentmindedly, the wind sending it fluttering behind her. She smiled sweetly, glad to see her
cousin. Everything in life was fascinating to Nadeshiko. And why shouldn’t it be? After all,
wasn’t life itself such a fascinating thing to begin with, the simple act of being such an
amazing fact? Sitting and watching things for hours, watching them partake of life’s endless
dream, it was something she could never tire of. And of all these things, watching her cousin 
run was one of the most fascinating that she could think of at the moment. Seeing Sonomi zip
across a stretch of ground, moving so eagerly towards her destination, it was always so 
wonderful to watch. Nadeshiko loved the way Sonomi always looked so intent, so dedicated to 
reach her goal. Watching her move, watching her face, watching the whole thing was just a 
wonder. But then, so much of life was. 
	“Do you really think so? I heard he was really fast. I’d like to race him some time,”
Sonomi said thoughtfully, heading back into the locker room. She had to change out of her gym
uniform and back into her school uniform before going home. She was feeling rather good about
things. She had a wonderful best friend, she was the up and coming star of the track team, and
her grandfather was visiting. Yes, things were going well. She smiled happily to herself as she
pulled her school uniform out of her bag. Pulling her shirt over her head, she turned around to
see Nadeshiko still standing there, smiling. Sonomi nearly stumbled backwards over her bag.
Apparently, Nadeshiko had followed her back into the locker room, even though only the track 
team was supposed to be there for the moment. “Nadeshiko-chan!” Sonomi found her heart beating
faster, her mind fuzzy. She tried to clear it as she began to pull her school uniform on. It
shouldn’t matter if Nadeshiko were there anyway. The dark haired girl didn’t often listen to
rules or other such nonsense. And Sonomi had practically grown up with her, so it wasn’t like 
she should worry about dressing in front of her. But still...
	Meanwhile, Nadeshiko busied herself with looking through Sonomi’s locker. Her innocent
curiosity sent her from one object to the next, all the while waiting for her older cousin to
walk her home as she always did. Like a big sister, Sonomi had always looked out for her.
Nadeshiko didn’t always understand why Sonomi was always so overprotective, but she was grateful
for it. She thought it was sweet of Sonomi to want to protect her all the time. Even if she did
worry too much. Sonomi was always so silly. 
	“Are you ready, Nadeshiko-chan?” Sonomi asked after a moment when she thought she had 
her composure back. The strange trill that Nadeshiko always sent through her heart both thrilled
and captivated her. It left her rolling about on powerful waves that shook her heart. And it had
grown stronger lately, nearly taking her breath away at times. It was one of those confusing
things that made running even more enjoyable. She didn’t have to worry about weird feelings she
couldn’t understand. The dark haired girl was her best friend and that had been her explanation
for the strange feelings at first, but now she wasn’t so sure. It was just so overpowering. She
almost felt dizzy when she was with Nadeshiko, her heart aching sweetly. And it was driving
Sonomi crazy. A flash in her eyes sent her reeling back to reality. Blinking a few times, Sonomi
finally caught sight of Nadeshiko holding her camera, the one she had received as a birthday
present. 
	Giggling, Nadeshiko held out the camera to its owner. “Take my picture, Sonomi-chan!
You’ve been getting better with your camera. I want to have my picture taken by the future world
prize winning photographer, Amamiya Sonomi-chan!” She giggled again as she posed for her cousin. 
	Sonomi giggled herself, holding the camera by its strap. “There’s no one I’d rather take
pictures of than you, Nadeshiko-chan. But let’s wait till we get home. I don’t want okaa-san to
worry about us being late.” Picking up her bag, the auburn haired girl turned to lead the way.
She was startled a second later when she felt something soft grab her hand. Her face darkened
slightly as she saw Nadeshiko holding her hand, smiling sweetly as always. Sonomi tried to 
return the smile, but found her heart beating mysteriously again. Nadeshiko’s hand felt so soft
against her own, her gentle fingers moving ever so slightly against her own. The young heiress
tried to shake off the strange feeling, but it refused to leave her. Hand in hand, the young
Amamiya girls made their way home. 

	“Girls!”
	“Grandpa!” 
	The two girls were swept up into a warm hug by their grandfather shortly after stepping
through the front door of Sonomi’s house. The hug lasted for a long moment before the elder man
took a step back, smiling at his lovely granddaughters. “You’re both growing up into such pretty
young ladies.”
	Nadishiko curtsied with a flourish, smiling brightly. “Thank you, grandpa!”
	“Arigato, grandpa!” Sonomi replied, smiling herself. Though they had visited their
grandfather recently, he had come up himself to stay for a bit. Sonomi was always happy to see
him. He was always so nice and fun. He didn’t have the same demanding authority that her parents
had. She loved them dearly, but there were certain things they expected of her that her
grandfather didn’t. He was a kind, gentle soul. His visits were always something Sonomi looked
forward to.
	“I was waiting for the two of you to get home. I have something for you.” Going back to
the guest room he was using, he returned with two beautiful dresses. “Now which one was for 
which of you?” A smile crossed his face as he saw his granddaughters’ faces light up. The older
man cherished his granddaughters, and enjoyed pampering them when he got the chance to. 
	“Wai! They’re beautiful!” Nadeshiko smiled brightly at the two dresses her grandfather
held. She always loved to dress up, no matter what the occasion. It was so much fun to try on 
all sorts of different things, to wear something beautiful. And her grandfather was more than
happy to indulge her on that wish, always ready to supply another wonderful dress for her to
wear.
	“Grandpa! It’s gorgeous!” Sonomi stated, holding onto the hem of one of the dresses. It
was beautifully adorned with ribbons and bows. The other dress was no less adorable, a white
dress with plenty of frills and lace. “Can we try them on?” she asked hopefully. Seeing the 
older man nod, she smiled happily and took the two dresses. “Come on, Nadeshiko-chan. I’ll go
take your picture in both of these.”
	Laughing, the older man smiled at his granddaughters’ exuberance. “Just make sure you
both come down to dinner in them. I want to see how they look on my pretty granddaughters.”

“Hai, grandpa!”

	Sonomi watched her younger cousin through the lens of the camera, following every little
movement as she lined up her shot. Nadeshiko’s emerald green eyes sparkled. There was no one
Sonomi would rather take pictures of. Nadeshiko was the perfect model for her. The other girl 
was so pretty and she always posed gracefully. One would never be able to guess at how accident
prone the gray haired girl was if they had only seen pictures of her. 
	Sonomi was currently wearing the ribbon and bow clad dress, Nadeshiko wearing the other.
They had taken several pictures of Nadeshiko in the other dress and now they had switched,
allowing Sonomi to get several more pictures. Nadeshiko was currently lying on her stomach, her
chin in her hands and her bare feet slowly kicking in the air. She was smiling happily at the
camera. Sonomi could feel a faint blush color her cheeks as Nadeshiko gazed directly at her. Her
finger pushed the button, the shutter closing with a click and a whir. And so another image of
her beloved cousin was frozen forever on film. It was such an amazing thing, the camera. Some
people said it was magical, that it had the power to trap ones soul. And Sonomi could see why. 
It certainly had its own magic. It allowed you to capture a single moment of time forever, to
hold onto it for as long as you wished. And yes, it even allowed you to capture pieces of
someone’s soul. No, not the whole thing, of course. But fragments. Bit and pieces. The shards
lying around. Each picture held a little bit of Nadeshiko in it, which was why each picture was
so precious to Sonomi. She was extremely careful with each picture she took, wanting it to be
perfect. Another click and whir sounded as she took another picture. 
	Nadeshiko watched Sonomi as the other girl moved around to get a better shot. She loved
posing for her cousin. It was so much fun to be able to dress up for Sonomi, to have her take 
her picture with that camera. She loved getting in position for the pictures, trying to look
pretty for each consecutive shot. It was always so lovely to be the focus of Sonomi’s attention,
to see her trying so hard to take the perfect picture. And every picture that Nadeshiko had seen
Sonomi take always turned out beautifully. She loved flipping through the scrapbook that her
older cousin was keeping, seeing all of her pictures lined up neatly. The fact that all of the
pictures were of herself didn’t seem surprising at all. Sonomi always paid attention to her, so
it just seemed natural. It was something she always liked. She smiled prettily for the camera,
her long dark hair framing her face, nearly obscuring her hands. Sitting up on her knees, she
tilted her head to the side as Sonomi got ready for another shot. 
	Taking another picture of her lovely cousin, Sonomi stepped around to the other side of
the bed. It was wonderful being able to do this with Nadeshiko. It was their time alone 
together. She could take endless amounts of pictures of her photogenic cousin. And she was more
than happy to. Sonomi was trying harder and harder to get better at taking pictures. If 
Nadeshiko was her subject, then they had to be perfect. The other girl was perfect, and so the
pictures of her should be as well. Nadeshiko was the only thing Sonomi really liked to take
pictures of. Maybe it was just that Nadeshiko made such an excellent model. Or maybe... Sonomi
shook her head, unsure of where that thought would lead. She tried to shake off the confusion as
she clicked another picture. “You’re so cute in that!” Sonomi said, her mind shifting to something much easier for her to grasp: her cousin’s irresistible cuteness. All of Sonomi’s room was filled with cute things, from toys to dolls to stuffed animals. And the cutest thing of all was, of course, Nadeshiko herself. The other girl was so innocent and sweet and cute. It was just perfect. Smiling, Sonomi took another picture. “I wish I had enough film to do this forever.”
	“Me too, Sonomi-chan,” Nadeshiko replied, smiling into the camera. “You’re so good at
taking pictures.” A knock at the door drew her attention, long dark hair fluttering about her. 
	“It’s time for dinner, girls. Hurry and wash up,” Sonomi’s mother said. 
	“Hai!” Slipping off the bed, Nadeshiko hurried for the door, eager to show her
grandfather the dress he had bought her. 
	Sonomi pulled up the camera after a moment, letting Nadeshiko fill the lens. Taking another quick picture, she caught Nadeshiko’s beautiful image in film once again. A soft, 
dreamy sigh escaped her. If only she could do that forever. Nadeshiko was always at the 
forefront of her mind. It would be so nice to spend forever taking her beautiful picture. 
Setting down her camera, Sonomi quickly followed, a bright smile on her lips. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	“So you don’t think I can beat you?” Sonomi asked in irritation, her hands on her hips.
She stared the reddish haired boy down as she waited for an answer. 
	“I just think that your cousin shouldn’t go around saying you’re faster than me. I’m 
sure you’re good. But you’re still a girl,” the boy replied, crossing his arms. 
	Sonomi’s eyebrow twitched at his words. “If Nadeshiko-chan said I can beat you, then I
can. Are you calling her a liar?”
	“No, no,” the boy said quickly. He sighed inwardly. He had wanted to confront her about
the rumors that she was faster than him. He didn’t want to start a fight over Sonomi’s cousin.
Everyone knew how touchy she could be when Nadeshiko was involved. “It’s just that I’m the
fastest one at the school. And everyone keeps saying that you are. That’s stupid.”
	“Fine. If you want to race, then let’s race, Terrada-san,” Sonomi challenged, tossing 
her hair out of her eyes with a quick toss of her head. She wasn’t one to back down from things.
And she was frustrated that this boy would come to her to argue about who was faster. “If you
want to prove who’s faster, then let’s see.” And to say that he was faster because he was a boy
at that! That was one of her favorite things about racing, that it only mattered who was the
fastest, not who they were. She did think that it was a little embarrassing that Nadeshiko had
been telling everyone at school that she was the fastest one, but she was happy to have her
younger cousin’s confidence. 
	The boy nodded in agreement. “All right. Let’s do it. First one to the finish line is 
the fastest at the school.” He wanted to clear this up once and for all. At first it had just
been Nadeshiko talking about how fast Sonomi was, but now other girls were beginning to as well
and even some of the boys. If he didn’t put an end to this fast, everyone really would think she
was the fastest. 
	The two stretched as they waited. Several other students had gathered by the time they
had gotten ready. Sonomi was still in her school uniform, but there wasn’t anything she could do
to fix that. She would just have to make do. She and Terrada slowly took their places, waiting
for the signal to send them dashing towards the finish line. 
	“You can do it, Sonomi-chan! No one can beat you!” Nadeshiko called out energetically.
She didn’t see what all the fuss was about. She was proud of her cousin. Sonomi really was a
great runner. Nadeshiko had watched her all the time. So she wanted people to know how great 
she was. It struck her as odd that someone would get mad about that. But she didn’t let it 
bother her. It didn’t matter. And it gave Sonomi another chance to run. 
	“What’s going on?” a voice asked.
	Turning to answer the voice, Nadeshiko smiled pleasantly at the teacher’s assistant,
Kinomoto Fujitaka. “Kinomoto-sensei! Sonomi-chan and Terrada-san are about to race. Did you come
to watch?” she asked cheerfully. 
	Smiling at the younger girl, Fujitaka nodded. “Yes, I guess I did. I just didn’t know
what it was about. Thank you, Nadeshiko-chan.” Lured by the crowd of students, Fujitaka had been
curious as to what was going on. He had been glad to find the dark haired girl there to explain
things to him. She was rapidly becoming his favorite student. It was funny how things worked. It
was almost like Fate that he had hit her with a ball in the park not so long ago. He could tell
she was different from the other girls her age. She was almost other worldly, always lost in her
own thoughts and in the world around her, never seeming concerned about anything. It was so
refreshing with how worried all the other girls were about life’s trivialities. 
	Sonomi, meanwhile, was preparing for her race. She waited motionless, her mind set
directly on the task before her. She let out a deep breath. “Go!” a black haired girl called. 
And with that, Sonomi launched herself forward. Run! It raced through her mind in the same way
that she raced across the track, the single thought becoming all encompassing. She could hear
Terrada running beside her, could feel the wind sweeping across her body and the ground for a
split second at a time. Her mind focussed on the finish line, everything else blurring,
disappearing from her vision. There was only the goal. Even her rival began to fade away, her
concentration remaining steadfast. Just a little further... This was her chance to prove 
herself, to show that Nadeshiko was right about her. Her strong legs propelled her forward, 
the mingled voices of the students nothing more than a whisper to her as she finally reached 
the designated finish line. It took her a moment to realize she had crossed it. Already stopped,
she had to clear her head, to let the rest of reality back in. 
	“Amamiya-san! That was unbelievable!” one of the girls said in amazement. 
	“We told you she was the best, Terrada-san!” another girl said. 
	“I can’t believe that a girl beat you,” one of Terrada’s friends said, shaking his head. 
	Sonomi smiled to herself, brushing back her disheveled auburn hair. She had proven
Nadeshiko right. She had proven herself right. It didn’t matter who you were with track. It only
mattered who the fastest was. She slowly caught her breath, glancing around for Nadeshiko. Her
eyes were well trained to the task, quickly scanning for the gray haired girl. But this time she
couldn’t find her amongst the gathered crowd of students. Her elation at her victory quickly
disappeared as panic began to grow inside of her. She didn’t like being away from Nadeshiko for
too long. Nadeshiko always managed to get hurt if she wasn’t there to protect her. Ignoring the
praise from some fellow students, Sonomi hurried off in search of her cousin. 

	“Thank you for your help, Nadeshiko-chan,” Fujitaka said gratefully, smiling as he 
pushed up his glasses. “It would have taken me much longer to get all of those papers back to 
the teacher’s lounge on my own.”
	“You’re welcome, Kinomoto-sensei,” Nadeshiko replied, smiling in return. When he had
asked if she wanted to help move some papers back to the teacher’s lounge, she had been happy to
help. She had a boundless curiosity and she had never seen the teacher’s lounge before, so it 
had sounded like a great idea. She already knew that Sonomi would win, anyway. So she didn’t 
need to wait and see the results. The teacher’s lounge, once a mysterious and far off place, was
now added to her mental map of the school. Having seen it didn’t take away any of the wonder,
though. Nadeshiko always managed to find wonder hidden in anything. 
	Sonomi stood in the doorway for a long moment, unsure of what to say. She felt hurt,
angry, jealous. But she didn’t know what to say about any of it. Her victory felt cheap,
pointless, with Nadeshiko leaving to go help the assistant teacher. Nadeshiko was always there 
to cheer her on, to share the victory with her when it was all over. But the assistant teacher
had lured her off to help with some trivial task. Sonomi had been running because of what
Nadeshiko had said about her being the fastest. It didn’t feel right to have won without
Nadeshiko waiting for her at the end. And here that assistant teacher was, not caring at all
about such things, smiling as if all was right with the world. And why shouldn’t he? He had
Nadeshiko with him, so of course he was smiling. Who wouldn’t smile in Nadeshiko’s presence?
Yeah, that was it. He had taken Nadeshiko away at her moment of victory. He was why she wasn’t
there to share it with her. Balling up her fists, Sonomi stormed into the room. “Nadeshiko-chan,
there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you. I was starting to get so worried. You know 
you shouldn’t wander off like that.” 
	“Hi, Sonomi-chan!” Nadeshiko replied, waving to her older cousin. She hurried over to
Sonomi’s side, glad to see the auburn haired girl. Sonomi always managed to find her, though 
she did always look worried when she did. This time she looked a little different, though. Not
exactly worried. Something else. Nadeshiko watched her curiously.
	“Oh, she’s fine, Sonomi-chan. She’s been with me the whole time,” Fujitaka said
helpfully, smiling all the while. “Oh, how did your little race go, by the way?” he asked
curiously, pushing his glasses up.
	“My little race went just fine, thank you. Come on, Nadeshiko-chan.” Turning her
attention back to Nadeshiko, Sonomi took the other girl’s hand, leading her out of the large
classroom. She just wanted to get away from the teacher. She was still frustrated about the 
whole thing, but all she could do was to take her dearest Nadeshiko away from him. She shot him 
a gaze with her stormy blue eyes as she headed for the door, Nadeshiko in tow. Nadeshiko 
followed as she always did, waving to Fujitaka before they disappeared out the door.

	Sonomi lay in bed, her blanket up around her head, her school uniform laying on the
floor. She was usually much better about keeping things in order, but she just didn’t care. Her
grandpa has asked her if she wanted to play some tennis with him, but she had declined. She 
loved to play things like that with her grandfather, but she just didn’t feel up to it at the
moment. She was still feeling burnt out from her race with Terrada. It just felt so shallow
knowing Nadeshiko hadn’t been there for it. It wasn’t that she couldn’t race without Nadeshiko,
but this was for the other girl as well as for herself. Knowing that Nadeshiko had been lured
away made it all feel so pointless to have ran against him at all. Who cared what the other
students thought of her? It was what Nadeshiko thought of her that was important. 
	Rolling on her side, Sonomi sighed sadly. She still felt jealous that Nadeshiko had been
with her teacher instead of with her. She was angry at him for taking Nadeshiko away while she
was racing. Nadeshiko was supposed to be there, watching her, cheering for her. How dare he take
her away? But what could she do about it? He was her teacher. That feeling of powerlessness sent
Sonomi’s heart tumbling again. She hated feeling powerless, useless. She hated feeling trapped.
It was one of the most painful feelings she could think of. She needed to be able to handle
things, to be free. 
	Her mother’s words cam ringing back to her, ones from back near her birthday. ‘Oh,
Sonomi-chan, you’re growing up so fast! Pretty soon, you’ll be a beautiful young lady. All the
handsome boys will start falling for you. Someday you’ll get a wonderful husband and a darling
family.’ Sonomi had merely smiled and humored her mother at the time. Truth be told, she didn’t
really care much about the idea of a husband or boys starting to fall for her. It didn’t sound
like something that she would want. She never much liked boys to begin with. She was much more
interested with the idea of having a family. One went with the other, though. She had no doubt
that eventually she’d wed and have a child. It was how things worked. But she didn’t much care 
to think about it too much. But now that she thought about it again, it made perfect sense in
context with her beloved Nadeshiko. Nadeshiko was already very pretty. She would only grow more
beautiful as time went by. Though she was a little odd, boys were already becoming interested in
her. In time, they would surely start falling for her en masse. Sonomi shook her head at the
horrifying vision of manbeasts stalking her dear Nadeshiko. If it was anything like what was
going on with the assistant teacher, Sonomi could already tell it would be a living nightmare.
‘I’ll protect you from those insects, Nadeshiko-chan. I won’t let them take you away. They don’t
deserve you. I’ll keep them away from you,’ Sonomi vowed.
	A knock at her window shocked the auburn haired girl out of her thoughts. Getting out
from under her blanket, Sonomi crept to the window, squinting to try and see out into the
darkness. Her room was on the second floor, so how could anyone be at her window? Picking up a
porcelain dolphin by her nightstand just in case, Sonomi peered out her window. What could
possibly be making the light rapping on her window? It took her a moment to recognize the shape.
“Nadeshiko-chan?!” The auburn haired girl immediately opened the window for her younger cousin.
“What are you doing here? How did you get all the way up here, Nadeshiko-chan?” Without waiting
for the dark haired girl’s answer, Sonomi pulled Nadeshiko inside, holding onto the other girl
tightly.
	Resting against Sonomi, Nadeshiko pulled up a foot behind her, motioning to her foot,
wings on either side of it. “I used the Jump Card. It was really helpful. You’d be surprised how
high you can jump with them, Sonomi-chan. It’s a lot of fun. You should try it some time.” 
	Sonomi held Nadeshiko’s foot, her fingers brushing along her ankle where the wings were
located. “That’s really cute. So that’s what that little stuffed animal guy we caught does?” She
would have said something about it not being safe for Nadeshiko to come to her window like that,
but she was too happy to see her to argue. And the wings on her feet really were cute. Sonomi
brushed the wings a bit, still holding Nadeshiko’s small foot in her hand. She didn’t want to 
let go. Thankfully, Nadeshiko didn’t seem to mind, her toes wiggling as Sonomi continued to 
hold her ankle and the wings.
	“Yeah. I was surprised. But I guess it makes sense with her name being Jump and all.” A
thump at the window caught Nadeshiko’s attention. “Oh yeah! Teddy-chan came, too. I got so
excited about jumping around to your house that I must have forgotten about her. Could you open
the window?”
	Reluctantly letting go of Nadeshiko’s foot, Sonomi headed to the window. She paused for 
a moment, considering. That little stuffed animal was always getting Nadeshiko in trouble. Did
she really want to let it in? Sighing, she slid the window open. If it would appease Nadeshiko,
then she could deal with it. 
	“About time you opened the window. I was freezing out there!” The little yellow Seal
Beast shuddered to make a point, his expressive face in a frown. 
	Sonomi stared at the Seal Beast for a long moment before looking back to Nadeshiko. The
dark haired girl simply smiled brightly. Sonomi turned back to the floating teddy bear. The Seal
Beast was wearing a small lavender dress, obviously from one of Nadeshiko’s other doll. He had
two little green bows tied on his ears. 
	“Isn’t she cute?” Nadeshiko asked, clasping her hands together. She had summarily 
decided that Cereberus was a girl shortly after having discovered him. And it only seemed 
fitting that she dress up her newest stuffed animal friend in something pretty. 
	“Err.. Of course she is, Nadeshiko-chan! She’s very cute,” Sonomi said quickly, smiling
reassuringly. Her cousin certainly had good taste. The little dress was cute. And it almost made
the Seal Beast look friendly. Now if only Nadeshiko could fix the things attitude, then it would
be perfect. But as far as the Seal Beast was concerned, the feeling was mutual. He didn’t seem
particularly fond of Sonomi either.”
	“I’m not a girl,” Teddy-chan said unenthusiastically, his stubby arms crossed. Though he
found himself to be the pinnacle of manliness, the current Cardcaptor didn’t seem to agree. All
of his arguments had been politely ignored as Nadeshiko had gone about dressing him as prettily
as she could. 
	“Of course you are,” Sonomi said, looking him in the eyes. “And Nadeshiko-chan thinks
you’re a very pretty girl. You should be happy.” Putting a hand on her chin, Sonomi watched him
thoughtfully. “And though I hate to admit it, she’s right. You do look cute in that. She did a
great job.” The auburn haired girl felt herself nearly get knocked over as Nadeshiko hugged her
tightly from behind. A warm blush spread across her cheeks as she felt Nadeshiko hold onto her.
	“Arigato, Sonomi-chan! I’m so glad you agree! Teddy-chan didn’t seem so sure,” Nadeshiko
said happily. She was glad to get Sonomi’s opinion of her makeover of Teddy. She had spent a lot
of time making the Seal Beast pretty and she was happy to have Sonomi on her side. It was much
better that Teddy have a cute wardrobe than to just fly around without any clothes all day, she
had told him. He had agreed at first, saying he would like to wear something ‘cool’. He had
changed his mind upon seeing the wardrobe she had found for him. At least Sonomi thought it was 
a good idea.
	Teddy grumbled to himself, holding his yellow head in his paws. “Can we please get down
to business? We need to stop a Clow Card. It’s out there right now and it doesn’t seem very
happy.” Why was he stuck in the middle of all of this? He was the Seal Beast. He shouldn’t be
sporting lipstick or hair bows. He sighed miserably and tried to make the best of it. The least
they could do is catch the Clow Cards before they caused too much damage. But between the
Cardcaptor’s bizarre behavior and her hot tempered cousin, this was getting to be a difficult
job. 
	“A Clow Card? Again?” Sonomi wasn’t very thrilled with where this was going. She didn’t
like the idea of Nadeshiko have to run around and catch these things. What would she do if
anything happened to her? But that was exactly why she had to go. She couldn’t stop Nadeshiko
from going anymore than her parents could make her go to bed on time. Nadeshiko would go with or
without her consent. So all she could do was go with and try to protect Nadeshiko as best she
could. 
	“Mmhmm..” Nadeshiko said, nodding. “That’s why we came. I thought you’d want to come,
too, Sonomi-chan. It’s more fun when you’re there. At least, I think it is. I’ve never gone
without you. Except for when I got the book.” Nadeshiko looked thoughtful for a moment before
nodding. “And I want you to come.” She smiled sweetly at her cousin, holding her staff in front
of her.
	Sighing, Sonomi went to grab her jacket. “All right. But lets hurry. It’s getting late. 
I just want to get this thing over with.” Pulling her jacket on, she looked over at Nadeshiko
worriedly. Stepping forward, she took Nadeshiko’s hands in her own. “Please, Nadeshiko-chan,
always come get me before you go do these things. I want to help you with them. I want to keep
you safe.” Her stormy blue eyes pleaded with Nadeshiko’s emerald gems. 
	“All right, Sonomi-chan,” Nadeshiko agreed, smiling.
	Sighing, this time with a slight feeling of relief, Sonomi nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

	“So.. Where is it?” Sonomi asked, hugging her jacket close to herself. A cold night
breeze blew across the two girls and the Seal Beast. Sonomi was only wearing her nightgown and a
jacket. She hoped it wouldn’t rain. She’d have to take Nadeshiko home if it did, Card or not. 
She wasn’t going to have the other girl getting sick because of this. 
	Nadeshiko looked around, holding her staff in front of her. She couldn’t see anything,
but every once in a while she would feel strange feelings drawing her one way or another. Teddy
had told her that it was sensing magic in the Cards, but it was so difficult to do! It was like
trying to decide what direction ‘happy’ was in. Shaking her head, she turned to Sonomi, offering
a small smile. “It has to be around here somewhere. Maybe it’s shy,” she suggested, glancing
around once more. “Ms. Clow Card! Could you please come out? We’d really like to meet you! We
want to be your friend!”
	As if in response to Nadeshiko’s call, a large object swept out of the treetops, soaring
through the air towards them. Leaves scattered in every which direction, the wind buffeting the
street below. 
	“There she is!” Nadeshiko smiled, waving to the Clow Card as it hurtled towards them. It
grew larger and larger as it continued to close in on them. This wasn’t so hard after all. It 
was coming right to her. Suddenly, the ground disappeared from beneath her feet and she went
flying to the side. It took her a moment to realize that Sonomi had knocked her out of the way.
She got up shakily, using her staff to support herself. “She doesn’t seem very happy to see 
us.”
	Sonomi crouched near Nadeshiko, watching the Card soar up into the sky again, searching
for them. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched it circling above, like a giant bird of
prey. “Why is it attacking us? What’s wrong with that thing?” 
	“It’s the Fly Card. It doesn’t have the most docile disposition. I think it’s a little
angry about being stuck in the book for so long,” Teddy explained, floating next to the two
girls. 
	“But Nadeshiko-chan didn’t do that to the Card! It’s not her fault! The Card should 
thank her for setting it free,” Sonomi replied angrily. 
	“Well, that’s how it works,” Teddy replied with a shrug. “And she’s the new Cardcaptor,
so it probably isn’t happy about being stuck in the book again.”
	“I’ll take her out of the book a lot if that’s what she wants,” Nadeshiko offered
hopefully. “She doesn’t have to stay in it if she doesn’t want to. Can we tell her that?” She 
had no want to subjugate the Cards. She simply wanted to be their friend, to meet them all. 
	“I don’t think it’s in a listening mood right now, Nadeshiko-chan,” Sonomi stated,
watching the Fly Card descend towards them. Grabbing the other girl’s pale hand, she ran as fast
as she could. Should might be able to get away on her own, but Nadeshiko slowed her 
considerably. But she couldn’t leave Nadeshiko alone against that thing. Her eyes darted for any
place they could escape to, anything that would let them get away from the magical creature
hunting for them. She yanked Nadeshiko around a tree at the last moment, the wind nearly 
knocking them both off of their feet as it darted past the side of the tree, lifting into the 
air again. Her heart pounded in her chest, shaking her whole body. Never before had Nadeshiko
actually been in danger with the Cards. This was wrong. Nadeshiko shouldn’t be out here past her
bedtime with a giant hawk thing trying to tear her apart. And yet Nadeshiko was expected to bind
the beast, to change it back into a Card. She was just a little girl! Sonomi had some choice
words for whoever decided to place this burden on her beloved Nadeshiko. Her mind raced for
options. Whatever she was going to do, she had to do it quickly. The longer they were out in the
open, the greater the chance they would get hurt. Her eyes finally settled on a building, still
under construction. “Nadeshiko-chan, run!” she yelled before bolting to the building. An angry
squawk thundered above them before the Fly dove towards them. It flew ever nearer, the wind
nearly tearing Sonomi’s hand from Nadeshiko’s. She held on tightly, finally pulling her through
the opening as the large bird creature passed just above the ground. 
	Nadeshiko leant against the wall, catching her breath. She wasn’t nearly as athletic as
her cousin and all the physical exertion was exhausting her. She slid down the wall, breathing
quickly. “We have to talk to her. She needs to know that we don’t want to hurt her.” 
	“I’m more worried about what she wants to do to us,” Teddy answered, floating beside the
Cardcaptor. “We need to find some way to capture it. But I don’t think you have the right Cards
yet. Flower isn’t strong enough, Jump just isn’t the type of Card to bind her, and even if Wood
is strong enough, she doesn’t have that kind of range.”
	The angry squawking grew louder as the Fly continued its search for the Cardcaptor and
her friends. Something large toppled over outside as the wind beat down around it. 
	Sonomi looked at the large back opening to the building. They hadn’t finished enough of
it. It was large enough for the bird creature to get through if it found it. They would have to
find another hiding place. But how long could they keep hiding? This thing was out there
somewhere. They needed to catch it. But she couldn’t let it hurt Nadeshiko. She couldn’t let her
go out there, even armed with her magic, to do battle with the Card. She could never allow that.
It could tear apart her beautiful little cousin. No, she had promised she would protect
Nadeshiko. And she would, no matter what. Her decision made, Sonomi walked over to the door.
“Nadeshiko-chan. I’m going to get the Card to chase me in here through the back. When you hear 
us coming, get the Wood Card ready. You can trap it when we come in here. It won’t have the room
to get away.” She swallowed as she held onto the doorframe. She would have to use every ounce of
speed she had ever shown in track. This wasn’t just a game. Taking a deep breath, Sonomi 
prepared herself. This was still the same thing. It only mattered that she was fast enough.
	“Sonomi-chan? No, you can’t go out there. It might hurt you,” Nadeshiko hurried over to
Sonomi’s side, shaking her head. “We have to talk to it first. Otherwise it might still be
angry.”
	Sonomi smiled at her cousin, squeezing Nadeshiko’s hand. “You said I’m the fastest,
right? Then I can’t lose. It won’t be able to catch me. I can do it, Nadeshiko-chan. I know I
can. Because you believe in me. Please believe in me. If you do, I know I can do anything.”
	Nadeshiko smiled slowly, nodding. “Hai. I believe in you, Sonomi-chan. I know you can!
You’re the fastest! You’re just like the wind, Sonomi-chan!” The dark haired girl gave Sonomi a
quick hug before stepping away.
	Watching her cousin for a moment, Sonomi felt her determination swell. That was why she
was doing this. For Nadeshiko. Because she didn’t want Nadeshiko to get hurt. So she had to lure
the beast to her cousin. It was the only way to keep Nadeshiko out of harm’s way. Taking a deep
breath, Sonomi darted out of the doorway. 
	The squawking above grew into a frenzy as the Fly caught sight of a single girl running
below. It dove below trying to catch its prey as it hurried through the street. It would not be
captured again. It was free. And it would remain so. 
	Sonomi could hear the roar of the creature as it flew behind her, quickly catching up.
She threw her all into running, her mind staying constantly on the finish line. She had to reach
it. She had to make it back to Nadeshiko. If the thing caught her, it would only wait for
Nadeshiko to come out. She couldn’t let her cousin get hurt. Her heart ached painfully as she
ran, both from the thought of the creature right behind her and the exhaustion of her running. 
It would be on her soon. She had to go faster. She was almost there. Almost.. She could feel the
wind whipping around her, threatening to send her sprawling to the floor. She knew that if she
fell down, she wouldn’t be getting back up. She finally caught sight of the opening. Her entire
body burned as she forced her muscles to move despite the pain. Just a little more.. She could
hear the Fly nearer and nearer, just behind her. The opening was right in front of her. Her
entire body wanted to collapse, but instead she ran even faster, her vision blurring around her
as her weary body threatened to give up.
	And she was through. Teddy grabbed hold of Sonomi’s jacket and yanked her into the air
just as the Fly crashed through the opening.
	“Wood! Bind the Fly and hold it still!” Nadeshiko called out, her voice echoing in the
confines of the unfinished building. A beautiful magical woman appeared out of the Wood Card,
large leafy branches reaching out to entangle the Fly Card. The large branches held it in place,
keeping it from flying away. But still, the Fly struggled, writhing about in its bonds, yanking
and shifting desperately to escape. It cried out again and again, trying to force its way free.
It wouldn’t be captured again. It couldn’t allow itself to be sealed away in the book. It only
wanted to be free. To soar free. It cried out, bashing about left and right in a mad attempt to
get away. Wood struggled to hold it, but it’s branches began to sway under the force, some
snapping painfully.
	“No! Please don’t!” Nadeshiko called out, running through the maze of branches to the
struggling Clow Card. She couldn’t stand to see it hurting itself and Wood so badly. She could
already see Wood suffering from its sustained blows. The Fly’s wing was injured as well, the
beautiful creature hurting it in its vain struggle. “Please don’t,” Nadeshiko whispered, laying 
a gentle hand on the Fly’s beak. “Don’t hurt yourself. Please. And please don’t hurt Wood. She’s
really sweet. She’s just trying to help you. We both want to help you.” Dismissing the Wood 
Card, Nadeshiko stood before the Fly, her hand still on its beak. She looked at its frightened,
pained eyes. She smiled gently, looking into its eyes. “It will be okay. I promise.”
	“Nadeshiko-chan!” Sonomi cried out, panic gripping her. She raced to her cousin’s side,
but Teddy blocked the way. “Get away from it!” She almost couldn’t bear to watch. Her mind 
filled with horrible fates for her beautiful cousin, the large creature lashing out at her in
them. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to Nadeshiko. She couldn’t live with
herself if her younger cousin got hurt. She shoved Teddy aside, ready to run to Nadeshiko. But
she knew she wouldn’t be in time. She was too weak from running all the way there. There was no
way she could get Nadeshiko out of the way. Her heart hung in limbo as she watched and waited.
	Slowly, gently, the Fly Card nuzzled Nadeshiko. It’s eyes calmed as it watched her. This
girl would enslave it. She was sincere. She was genuinely sorry for the Fly getting hurt. The 
Fly simply stood there before her.
	“Thank you very much,” Nadeshiko said happily. Holding its beak with both of her hands,
she gave it a kiss on the tip of it. “I’ll take good care of you. You can stay with all of your
friends, the other Cards. And Teddy-chan, too.” Holding up the staff, Nadeshiko brought it down
gently on the Fly Card. “Return to your true form! Clow Card!” In a swirl of magic, a small Card
appeared in the air before Nadeshiko. Hugging the card close, she smiled. “She just wanted a 
nice place to stay.” 
	Sonomi sighed, reaching Nadeshiko. “I hope we never have to do anything like that 
again.” Her whole body ached. She knew it was going to be sore the next day. And she had track
practice, too. But at least it was over with. This was their shared triumph. It was so much more
fulfilling to share it with Nadeshiko. She smiled as she watched her cousin standing there
cutely, wand in hand. It was nice to be there with her. Better than being home in bed alone.
Well, the whole Nadeshiko being in danger part notwithstanding. 
	“Well..” Teddy laughed nervously at Sonomi’s comment. There were other, more dangerous
Cards out there. But they didn’t need to know that at the moment.
	“Fly!” Nadeshiko watched in amazement as wings grew on the back of her staff. “Sugoi!!
Isn’t that great, Sonomi-chan?” The dark haired girl watched as the wings on her staff flapped
slowly. She climbed on, deciding to test it out. Jumping had been fun earlier. Flying seemed 
even more amazing. Pushing off with her feet, the staff lifted into the air. “Wai! Come on,
Sonomi-chan! This really is fun!”
	“Nadeshiko-chan! Wait!” Sonomi called, her concern returning. She did not like the idea
of Nadeshiko flying on that thing. It didn’t look safe at all. She hurried behind as Nadeshiko
began lifting into the air. She hopped on the back just as it began to ascend. The two girls 
rose into the air, riding on a staff up into the heavens. Sonomi held onto the staff tightly 
with her strong legs, her arms quickly going around Nadeshiko’s waist. Did Nadeshiko really 
need magic? Wasn’t she magical enough on her own? Or at the very least, couldn’t the Cards have
some safer magic? She sighed as they lifted high above Tomoeda. The city sprawled out underneath
them, the gorgeous moon shining above. Her arms wrapped tighter around Nadeshiko’s stomach, her
eyes closing slowly. She could smell the sweet scent of Nadeshiko’s soft hair as it fluttered
against her. She could feel Nadeshiko against her as they soared through the air. Together. She
sighed inwardly. This did make a rather cute scene. Blushing faintly, she rested her head 
against Nadeshiko’s back. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all. No, this wasn’t bad at all. 
	“Isn’t it beautiful, Sonomi-chan?” Nadeshiko asked, watching the city below, the lights
playing like thousands of fireflies. 
	“Hai. Very beautiful, Nadeshiko-chan,” Sonomi replied, not opening her eyes. She knew. 
It was beautiful. Because Nadeshiko was there. Sighing softly, she held onto the other girl.