A Wink and a Smile (Nakuru gen)

[storypaint]

Fandom: Cardcaptor Sakura
Theme Set: 10
Rating: G
Author Notes: A couple references to canon, but most of these are ambiguous, time-wise. Nakuru/Ruby Moon focused, and for my convenience, s/he (gender-neutral) is female.
Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.
Summary: Nakuru's life in 50 sentences. How exciting life is!

01. No
Unless Eriol said no at least three times, she was generally undeturred.

02. Athlete
She loved being an athlete; there was nothing more exhilarating than a pounding heart and the swish of the net.

03. Journey
It was a long journey from England to Japan; it was a totally new world to explore, and totally worth the endless plane ride.

04. Hate
She thought it was funny that Touya pretended to hate her; no one could resist her charm, after all.

05. Rend
When she was fighting Yue, she really didn't want to rend him to pieces; more, like, loosen him up a little bit.

06. Carnival
Nakuru loved carnivals, circuses, magic shows, and any other little hint that the world was more complicated than most people thought (wasn't she proof?).

07. Would
She would have savored Touya's magic as she took it from him, but perhaps it was just as well that she didn't have to lose her favorite sparring partner.

08. Fight
Just because Nakuru didn't like to fight seriously didn't mean she wouldn't give it everything when her master asked her to.

09. Character
Her character was much more like Eriol's than one would suspect at first, but after a while you learned to catch the glitter of amusement in his eyes.

10. Woman
Some days, she felt like a woman, and why shouldn't she choose?

11. Moment
Nakuru lived moment to moment-- life was more exciting that way.

12. Upset
She only upset Suppi because it was so funny to see him flail around like that.

13. Sweet
Eriol often told people she was sweet, with a lifted eyebrow and a knowing smile, and for some reason Nakuru didn't understand, they always laughed.

14. Sight
The first time she saw a sugar-crazed Suppi racing around the house, she knew she had a duty to keep him happy like that.

15. Numb
When Eriol told her they were going back to England, she felt numb for a minute, but then realized that another great adventure was ahead.

16. Shell
Nakuru liked to help people come out of their shells, but for some reason, Touya was resistant.

17. Wizard
She pulled an all-nighter to read the first Harry Potter book and woke Eriol around three, claiming they had ripped off his life story (to which he replied, "Have you ever heard of fiction?" and went back to sleep).

18. More
Nakuru was constantly questing for something more-- a new experience, new friend, new outfit.

19. Universe
She bet she was the only guardian around here whose creator bent the universe regularly.

20. Ache
The day she left, her heart ached a bit for Touya, and she was surprised to realize she was attached to him, rather than his magic, more than she had thought.

21. Wind
She loved the wind and how it could pull her so high into the sky that she felt she could fly off into the stars.

22. Escape
Spinel soon learned there was no escape from Nakuru when she was in one of her bounciest moods.

23. Like
She was nothing like Yue, intentionally, because she didn't intend to be his replacement-- she was her own person.

24. Devil
Sometimes when she was bored she tried to be mischievously demonic, but all of the giggling ruined the impression.

25. Song
They were never visiting Yuuko again, Eriol decided, not after she taught Nakuru the "Song that Never Ends."

26. Euphemism
It was getting tiring coming up with euphemisms to hint at Yukito's condition, but she'd never met a more clueless false form.

27. Dealt
It had been fun, but Nakuru doubted that even while intoxicated Touya and Yukito would never agree to play strip poker with her again; at least, not if she was allowed to deal the cards.

28. Romance
Nakuru never had much need for romance; why bother, since she would outlive her lover anyway?

29. Heed
Eriol hauled her out of the lake, choking and sputtering, and hoped that next time she would heed the "thin ice" sign.

30. Let
Nakuru was glad Eriol let her go to school, because staying home with Spinel would be boring (plus, it might lead to an explosion again).

31. Compose
Eriol was the composer, but after a while she could play left-hand duets with him (it made her feel special).

32. Switch
It was a secret, but she wouldn't switch Suppi for the exuberant Kero anytime.

33. Rule
Rules were for other people, except for Eriol's rules, which were for Suppi.

34. Calm
She wasn't always excitable, but her calm days were often lonely and she missed the company of others.

35. Beast
She was so happy when Eriol let her have a pet, and the big black Lab loved to play as much as she did.

36. Missing
She was quiet for several days after Blackie disappeared.

37. Pulse
His pulse was a little slower now than when he was young, but Nakuru was sure Eriol still had several good years left in him.

38. Brush
Some days Kaho let Nakuru brush her hair, and it always made Nakuru feel important.

39. Warning
Maybe next time she'll read the warning, Eriol thought hopefully when he pulled her out of the lake and she began to sneeze.

40. Field
Sometimes at night she went down to the football field and ran full-out across the hundred yards, wondering if this was as close as most people got to real flying (it wasn't even close).

41. Bronze
Her eyes were the color of bronze and her lips seemed to smirk when she was flirty (it attracted plenty of boys, but never Touya).

42. Core
At the core, she was happy, and that's all Eriol ever wanted for her.

43. Mask
She never thought of her false form as a mask, like Yue did; she was herself through and through.

44. Justice
The third time she fell in the lake it was only justice that she caught a horrible cold (in retrospect, she really ought have heeded the warnings).

45. Weight
She never minded throwing her weight on Touya's back; he was strong and didn't even notice, she was sure.

46. Replace
When they were created, Eriol sat them down and told his guardians that they were not simply replacements for Kero and Yue: they were family.

47. If
Nakuru decided that if she ever went back to Japan, she would play as a male to see what felt different.

48. Code
Seeing Yukito's confusion was like seeing he had a code he couldn't break; she thought it was funny.

49. When
"When you get married, I'll be there!" Nakuru promised Syaoran and Sakura when they visited last; Syaoran turned bright red and Sakura sighed dreamily.

50. Sigh
Nakuru sighed in boredom, then thought of fifteen different fun things to do and got up to do them.