There's something magical about music that catches everyone up in its spell. It spreads wide and far and touches even the darkest corner of every place and time. Music is so all-consuming that everyone knows its name. Seldom does an old heart die without being touched by its resounding veracity. In this way, music is a world of its own.

Daidouji Tomoyo had always founded the sweetest of all emotions in music. Once upon a time, her mother, Sonomi, had taken maternity leave to be fully involved in raising her only child for the first two years of her life. She would sing to the smiling baby resting in her arms in a voice that was nothing strong or amazing, but merely pretty. The sort of voice a mother ought to have. Tomoyo closed her eyes as if falling asleep, but even then, she was listening. She was listening intently and taking in each word and note, each quiver and rise in her mother's voice. She collected them all like falling stars and tucked them away to fill her dreams once the singing stopped.

When Tomoyo was two years and a few weeks old, her mother resigned herself to the pressure from the ever-growing toy company that she had worked so hard to build up from the ground, from the very beginning. It's quite a stretch to take such a long leave when you're the president of a growing company, even for the sake of one's child. Tomoyo's mother returned to working tiring hours at the growing company, and the growing girl was raised by smiling maids who rejoiced in being able to take care of such a cute little girl. Do not make the mistake of thinking that Tomoyo's childhood was devoid of her mother, oh no; she spent every non-working moment with her only daughter, who was her pride and joy. She may not have found the time to sing Tomoyo to sleep anymore. She may have missed Tomoyo's first steps and even her first word, which none of the maids could quite agree on, but she was as constant a presence as she could manage, and she did catch the first note Tomoyo sang.

Scientists insist that a person cannot remember any events taking place before the age of three due to the underdevelopment of the hippocampus, the part of the brain in charge of recording memories, up to that point. Maybe, then, it was a flaw in the system or merely a coincidence that one winter night, laying against her mother's arm on a floor cushion by the fireplace, Tomoyo opened her mouth and repeated the notes to a lullaby that she hadn't heard since she was an infant being sung to sleep. She couldn't yet form the words, but the melody came through all the same, flowing from somewhere deep within her like a soundtrack to the gentle leaping of the fire.

The small girl, taken by her new ability, was surprised to look up and see silent tears glistening on the thin cheeks of her beloved mother.

"Very good, Tomoyo-chan," she said softly. "Oh, Mommy's sorry for crying. Did I upset you? Did you know Tomoyo…? Sometimes people cry because they're so happy they just can't hold it in anymore. That's how Mommy felt to hear you singing like that. I cried because I was happy. You reminded me of something very important." It was undeniable that those notes had only once before sounded so warm and delicate.

Standing slowly, Sonomi took a photograph from the mantle and lowered herself to show it to Tomoyo. "You see this lady? She's beautiful, isn't she. She used to sing that song, too, and it sounded just as pretty as you did just now."

Whether the small child fully understood or not, the photograph of the lovely woman made an impression on her. Later, she would get tall enough to take it down to look at it herself, and the thought of it made her feel like singing. She had discovered her power to make people so happy that tears flowed, and the sheer delight of it made her want to cry, too.

"Take good, deep breaths," said Itsuki-sensei, Tomoyo's vocal coach. "Singing requires a lot more air than talking does, and you're running out of breath, so you don't have as much strength to your voice by the end of the verse."

Tomoyo nodded, took a deep breath, and tried again.

"She's a hard worker," Itsuki-sensei would later tell Sonomi. "If I continue working with her, she could be a really amazing singer someday."

For several years, that's what Tomoyo wanted more than anything else in the world. "I'll be an idol," she'd say with a dreamy look on her face. She'd watch the bright-eyed idols on TV, studying the way they moved and the way their voices flowed.

With Sonomi's encouragement, Tomoyo grew her elegant black hair out longer and longer, and before long, she really did look like a little idol who'd be ready to step on-stage in a few years.

Somewhere along the way, though, her vision changed.

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Tomoyo's eyes sparkled as she tore away the brightly-colored paper.

"This is what you wanted, right?" Sonomi's head rested in her chin.

Tomoyo nodded, smiling brilliantly. The shiny new camcorder was the very gift she'd been dreaming of for so many nights. "Thank you so much." Her normally soft voice was little more than a whisper.

"If you don't mind my asking, Tomoyo-chan, what are you going to do with that thing?"

"I'm going to make movies," she said confidently. "I have the perfect subject for my first big hit." She made a frame around her eyes with her hands, as if surveying the room for a perfect shot.

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Author's Notes: Okay, this first chapter sort of changed on me inexplicably. This chapter was going to be completely about Tomoyo as a baby, and then as a very small child. Somehow I started focusing on her relationship with her mother, and I love the way it worked. I always felt like Sonomi was never given enough credit for raising such a sweet, talented little girl... so this chapter is sort of dedicated to Daidouji Sonomi. XD

There was more I wanted to say in this chapter, but I couldn't figure out how to say it. It really wasn't coming out the way I wanted it to, so I just decided to post it as it was before I could splice it up and do more damage to it. Because of this, I'll ask you all to please, please review and tell me what you thought. Tell me what you liked and what didn't seem right, and I might edit this chapter so I can get off on a better foot for the next one.

Anyway... Tomoyo is love, and my readers and the reviews they write are my life energy! See you next time.