Cardcaptor Sakura: The New Trials (Wish-luv)

Chapter 52: On the Night the Lone Wolf Calls

It was a mild spring day twenty three years ago, just after the snow had thawed and trees were blooming.

“I wonder how many more years I have left to live,” Amamiya Nadeshiko remarked, twirling around to face Li Ryuuren. Her long braid whipped around her, strands of violet curls brushing Ryuuren’s cheeks ever so softly.

“Don’t say such morbid things on such a bright spring day like this,” Ryuuren said, stroking his cheek which still tingled.

Nadeshiko shielded her eyes with her hand and looked up at the magnificent rows of sakura trees lining up the path ahead of them. Everywhere they looked, they were surrounded by pink glory as the petals blew around them with the gentle spring breeze. “It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” She reached up to pluck a branch of sakura blossoms. “Sakura. The most beautiful flowers of them all. No matter how sad or depressed you are, just looking at sakura blossoms makes you happier.”

“I guess,” Ryuuren replied, blue eyes smiling merrily at Nadeshiko’s radiant face. “I’ve never seen such cherry blossoms until I came to Japan.”

“If I have a daughter, I think I would name her Sakura,” she commented, taking a whiff of the blossoms from the branch she had plucked. “Don’t you think it’s a pretty name? She won’t be clumsy or sickly like me, but she’ll be strong and healthy.”

Bending down to look Nadeshiko directly in the eye, Ryuuren murmurred, “Right. But I’ll be very very jealous of your husband.” She blinked, wondering if she heard right.

He was bent so near to her that Nadeshiko could feel his soft breath on her cheeks. To her surprise, he picked a sakura petal from her hair and took a step back. “R-really?” she asked, turning the color of the flowers she held in her hand.

Ryuuren laughed out loud, flicking her forehead. “You wish.”

At this, Nadeshiko pouted and stomped down the path carpeted by a thick later of flower petals. Ryuuren followed her, still laughing.

“Stop following me!” Nadeshiko called out.

“I’m not following you. There is only one path,” he replied back and continued to tail her.

After a while, Nadeshiko halted.

“What’s wrong?”

She whispered lowly to Ryuuren. “There’s someone following us.”

Immediately, Ryuuren drew Nadeshiko nearer to him and narrowed his sapphire eyes. “Dark force?”

Nadeshiko shook her head.

“Who’s there?” called out Ryuuren, swerving around. “Show your face immediately.”

A short, blonde middle-aged man stepped out from behind a tree. Clutched In his hand was a black Canon analog camera. “I-I’m sorry,” he stammered. “My name is Mark Kant, and I’m a photographer. H-here’s my name card.” He shoved his name card into Ryuuren’s hands as if to prove that he was not a shady person.

“Well, what do you want from us?” Ryuuren asked.

Gulping, Mark Kant continued, “As I said, I am a photographer, and I was wonder if I could photograph you two for a magazine shoot. The theme is ‘couples in the springtime.’ ”

“We’re not a couple!” exclaimed Ryuuren and Nadeshiko simultaneously.

Taken aback, Mark stammered, “Ah, well, it doesn’t matter. I would be honored to photograph you two.”