Summary
Nadeshiko Kinomoto was a high school student and professional model who passed away seven years prior to the start of the series. Born on May 20, she had a fondness for sweets, black tea, and sunshine, with white as her favorite color and wisteria, peach, and cherry blossoms as her preferred flowers. Her hobby was simply sleeping. She met her husband, Fujitaka Kinomoto, while he was her teacher, and they fell in love. Her family disapproved of the union when she was sixteen, yet she maintained contact with her cousin Sonomi Daidōji and continued sending gifts to her father. At age twenty-seven, Nadeshiko died. Sonomi, who loved Nadeshiko deeply, blamed Fujitaka for the loss. It is suggested that the Amamiya family severed ties with Fujitaka and the children after her death. This estrangement is highlighted when Sakura discovers that Sonomi, her best friend’s mother, is a relative, and later meets her great-grandfather, Nadeshiko’s grandfather. Although deceased, Nadeshiko’s spirit remains close to her family, driven by enduring love for Fujitaka and her children. She appears as a winged spirit, though only Toya can initially see her. The manga implies Toya inherited this ability from Nadeshiko, suggesting she could also perceive spirits. Throughout the story, she watches over Sakura as the girl collects the Clow Cards. When the Illusion card tricks Sakura into walking off a cliff, Nadeshiko’s spirit grabs her arm to prevent her fall until Yukito Tsukishiro arrives to catch them. Later, when Sakura suffers a high fever, Nadeshiko appears and touches her forehead to lower it. During a reconciliation between Fujitaka and his father, Nadeshiko rains cherry blossoms upon them to express her joy. The family’s continued affection for Nadeshiko is evident in a photograph kept near the kitchen table. Fujitaka changes this picture daily, and Sakura always greets it during breakfast. At the series' conclusion, after Fujitaka gains half of Eriol’s powers, he and Nadeshiko are happily reunited as the magic enables him to finally see her. In the anime adaptation, her role remains largely the same, but Fujitaka never sees her because he does not receive magical powers. She is voiced by Yūko Minaguchi. In the Cardcaptors English dub, her name is changed to Natasha Avalon and she is voiced by Janyse Jaud.
