HEYO!!!! Me again! Here is Pt.3!!!!! *bows* Thanks again to my pre-reader. I
am dyslexic and my spelling is nprmally atroscious, see? Well, oh, go we
here!!!!!!!
Quote of the day: (Well, my real name is Faith. I found this very strange
quote in readers digest.) "Fear can keep one up at night, but faith makes
one fine pillow." (scary huh?)
Wordsmith Saturn
By Savere Hotaru
Music from: Unknown (99 Red Balloons), Billy Joel ( We didn't Start the
Fire), Dirty Dancing (Stand by Me)
Poetry from: Unknown
Pre-reader: Beky NeRichnead
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and Ranma characters are not mine. May Naoko
Takeuchi and Rumiko Takahashi live forever! ALL the WordSmiths are mine (ok,
Beky NeRichnead owns Thogan. *blows a raspberry* But it was my idea
to......oops, spoilers are censored.)
Pt.3-Highschool
Hotaru gathered her books together while listening to Haruka and Michiru
played duet on violin and piano. She looked over at the clock and ran
towards the door. "Ja ne Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama!"
They smiled and waved. Hotaru ran out the door, to the corner where Brian
and Imani waited. Hotaru jumped into
Imani's arms. "Hi!"
Imani grinned. "For a moment I thought you were going to late like Usagi."
Hotaru managed to look hurt before Brian pulled them off towards school. "I
thought you weren't coming to High School, Imani." Hotaru said as they
neared the gates.
Imani shrugged. "Nyale and Mark can handle it. Besides, they are more of
age for Middle School."
Hotaru grinned, "I'm glad you're with me."
They passed the gates to find chaos awaiting them. A blue haired girl was
beating up a large number of male students. A black haired boy was watching
from atop a wall.
As the last student fell, another student stepped out. He had dark short
hair and wore old style samurai garb. Imani and Brian froze. Hotaru looked
at them in confusion. "What's wrong?"
The student noticed the three standing by the gates. He focused on Imani
and smiled. He walked over to her. "Oh, my flame haired goddess. I would
date thee! Art thou a combatant that I should challenge?"
Imani looked stricken then turned and fled. Brian looked around, "I need
someone to take care of Hotaru and get her to class on time."
A boy with long hair stepped forward. "I'll take her. My name is Ukyo."
Brian nodded. "Thank you, I must help my sister." He turned to Hotaru. "I
promise I'll explain later. Go to class."
Hotaru nodded. "Ok, I'll meet you at me house later if I don't see you
before."
Brian nodded and ran after Imani.
*
Imani ran swiftly, trying not to think. She didn't know how far or how fast
she went. She eventually stopped, exhausted. She sat and found herself in a
forest and tried to clear her thoughts. That boy at the school had looked
just like....
She sang softly to herself to calm herself down.
"You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got.
Set them free at the break of dawn
Till one by one, they were gone.
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flashed the message `Something's out there.'
Floating in the summer sky
99 Red Balloons go by.
99 Red balloons, floating in the summer sky
Captain Kirk its red alert
There's something here from somewhere else.
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
While 99 red balloons go by.
99 decisions treat
99 ministers weep.
To worry, worry, super scurry
Call the troops out any how-y
This is what we've waited for
This is it boys, this is war
The President has signed the line
As 99 red balloons go by.
99 nights of the year
In super high tech jet fighters
Everyone's a superhero
Everyone's a Captain Kirk
With orders to identify
To clarify and classify
Scramble in the summer sky
99 red balloons go by.
99 red balloons go by.
99 Dreams I have had
And every one a red balloon.
It's all over and I'm standing pretty
In this dust that was a city.
If I could find a souvenir
Just to prove the world was here
And here is a red balloon...
I think of you and let it go."
"Excuse me?" she heard and jumped.
She turned to see a dark haired boy wearing a bandana. He grimaced, "Sorry
I scared you, but I heard you singing and was wondering if you coul tell me
where Nerima was from here."
Imani blinked as she thought about it. "Actually, I'm not sure. I just came
from there and really should be getting back. My nerves are a little on end,
it's not your fault."
He awkwardly bowed. "I'm Hibiki Ryouga."
She smiled. "I'm Savere Imani."
She looked around. "I think it's that way." She pointed south.
He shrugged. "Let's try it."
They headed south and idly chatted. Imani was happy for a respite from her
thoughts.
*
Brian stopped to catch his breath. He was bent over breathing hard. It
couldn't be Thogan, Thogan was dead. It wasn't possible. Besides Thogan
would never hit on his- His thought was cut off by a soft voice asking.
"Would you like a drink?"
He looked up to see a brown haired girl. She smiled gently and he nodded.
"Thanks, [pant] that would be [pant] great."
"Come in," she said and he followed her into the house.
He sat down at a table in the kitchen. "Thank you, very much ms...."
"Tendo Kasumi," she answered, as she poured him some tea. "What were you
doing to get yourself so out of breath? Are you a martial artist?"
He shook his head and took a sip. "No, there was trouble at the highschool
and my sister ran off. I had to make sure our friend was taken care of
before I followed her and now I can't find her anywhere."
Kasumi smiled. "I'm sure you'll find her. Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki should
be home soon. I'm sure they'll help you search."
Brian was surprised. "Has it been THAT long since I followed her? Where
could she be?"
He heard voices at the front door. "It seems they are here now."
A short female redhead stomped into the room without seeing Brian. She
dumped the still warm teakettle over her head and turned into a taller dark
haired male. The one he had seen at school.
"Naanichuan," Brian commented. "I knew a few people who fell into that
one."
The boy turned and unconsciously fell into a ready stance. Seeing Brian as
no threat, he relaxed. "You know of Jusenkyo?"
Brian nodded. "I avoid the place on general principle, but I was there a
few times." He stood and bowed. "Savere Brian,"
"Saotome Ranma," the other boy answered. "Why are you here?"
Brian sighed. "Remember what happened this morning with......that boy?"
Ranma nodded. "You mean, Kuno? Yeah, I saw that girl run off. Kuno does
that kinda stuff all the time."
"She is my sister." Brain said. "I haven't been able find her."
"Want some help?" Ranma asked.
Brian nodded, "I would appreciate it."
The blue haired girl strode in. "Who are you flirting with....." She saw
Brian. "Oh, hello."
Brian nodded and introduced himself.
"Tendo Akane," the girl answered.
Brian held in his impulse to quote some instantly created poetry. Not now.
"We're going to find his sister." Ranma said.
"Oh," Akane said. "She looked horrified before she disappeared this
moring."
Brian nodded. "May I use your phone?"
"Of course, Brian-sempai." Akane answered.
Brian called Mark and Nyale. He explained as much as he could over the
phone. Then he told them to come over to the dojo with Rei and Michiru.
*
Rei sat in front of the sacred fire. She had just seen a vision of a man
with two hearts. He also seemed to have a strange aura about him.
"Rei?" she heard Yuchiro call.
"Hai?" she asked wearily.
"Mark asked you to meet him at this address. He says Imani is missing.
Hotaru is frantic," Yuchiro said.
Rei took the paper from his hand. "I will go. Tell grandfather I will
return later."
*
A mysterious figure rested above a black ball. "This boy is in the perfect
position to kill Sailor Saturn. Nasha, turn him and give him his orders."
A woman bowed and vanished, glad to escape the black ball that was bouncing
up and down distractingly.
*****
Mark, Nyale, Rei, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, Brian, Ranma, and Akane met
outside Akane's house. Introductions were quick.
Brian turned to Michiru. "See if you can find her in your mirror." Then he
turned to Rei. "See if you can find her."
Both nodded and tried to inconspicuously use their supernatural methods of
detection.
Michiru shook her head. "Wherever she is, her location is shielded."
Rei agreed. "I didn't find anything."
"But I did catch a glimpse of a dark haired boy wearing a bandana." Michiru
added.
"No wonder we can't find her! She's with Ryoga! He couldn't find a hat on
his head!" Ranma exclaimed.
Akane pulled out her mallet and brought it with frightning speed towards
Ranma's head. "BE NICE TO RYOGA!"
Nyale's hand snaked out and the mallet exploded before it hit Ranma.
Ranma, Akane, Rei, Haruka, and Michiru looked at Nyale in surprise. Nyale
answered their unspoken question. "I developed a breaking point technique
for chi weapons. It is relatively easy to learn."
"Relative to what?" Haruka asked, pushing her blonde hair back.
Brian smiled. "Relative to verbal paralysis, scry blocking, help summoning,
transdimensional warfare......"
Ranma blinked. "You know all those?"
Brian shrugged. "I know some. Imani knows some. Mark, Nyale, and Hotaru
know some."
Mark spoke up. He pointed west. "We need to go that way."
"Imani is in that direction?" asked Akane.
Mark shrugged. "I never said that. We need to go west. I know it."
Brian nodded. "The only time he was ever wrong was in in another dimension.
That doesn't really count."
They all trooped off west.
***
Imani sighed and sat. "So you've had this sense of direction all your life?
You must be quite the traveler."
Ryoga nodded. "It has caused no end of trouble. Damn Ranma for taking
advantage of it!"
Imani raised an eyebrow, having heard the whole tale by now, but not
commenting. "We've been walking for awhile now. With my travel skills and
yours, we could be in America."
The woods looked the same and Imani was very lost. Or so it seemed.
Imani noticed a bush moving and watched a small brown creature coming out
of it. She walked over and picked it up. It looked like a mix of a cat and a
rabbit. "How odd, this seems familiar."
They heard voices calling. "Ryo-ohki! Where did you go?"
A small blue haired girl and a dark haired boy came into the clearing.
Imani put the animal down and bowed. "Hello, I am Savere Imani and this is
my companion Hibiki Ryoga."
The boy bowed back. "I am Masaki Tenchi and this is my friend Sasami."
"Hi!" the little girl answered cheerily. Her long blue pigtails swung in
the air.
Imani smiled. "We are lost. Could you help us? We are trying to get back to
Nerima."
Tenchi whistled. "That's pretty far from here. Maybe you should come back
to my house and rest. I have a cousin in Nerima I can talk to."
Imani nodded and looked back to Ryoga, who also nodded. "We'd be happy to
come."
****
Rei, Akane, and Mark searched their sector and chatted.
"A shinto priestess? That's cool. Was it hard to learn?" Akane asked.
Rei shrugged. "I've done it all my life. My grandfather still has much to
teach me." She turned to Mark. "What about you? What's your life like?"
He smiled. "I was born once, but that was long ago. I became a wordsmith
and I truly lived. I like to find friends to help the world act smoothly,
but it doesn't always work."
Rei nodded, knowing Mark well enough not to expect a clear answer.
Akane did not know him at all. "How old are you?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I am of life. How old is life?"
Akane frowned, but gave up the line of thought.
****
Ranma, Michiru, and Haruka searched their sector. Ranma had been
accidently splashed with water by Neptune, so he was in girl form.
"I hate this." he complained.
Michiru giggled. "Actually, it's kinda cute. Do you know if there is a pool
of the drowned man we could go to? It would nice to have a baby someday."
Haruka turned away, blushing a deep red.
Ranma sighed. "If I find it, I'll call you."
****
Nyale, Brian, and Hotaru were the first back at the rendevous point.
Brian sighed. "I'm getting the feeling that Imani is dragging this out."
Hotaru looked shocked. "Why would she do that?"
Nyale looked up from her carving of a boar. "She has long been missing a
soulmate. Perhaps she has found one. She can take care of herself most of
the time."
Brian understood that. Every time Hotaru died Imani passed out for a month
in intense grief as she would any daughter. He was worried though. Could
thoughts of Thogan have effected her similarly?
They would find out. Eventually Mark would lead them to her.
Mark and his group approached. "Imani is a few hours walk south."
Ranma's group arrived and heard Mark's comment. "Then why have we been
searching west?" Haruka asked.
Nyale smiled. "We'll find out I think."
They all headed south.
****
It was dark. Ryoga and Imani sat on the roof of the Masaki house. Ryoga was
staring at the sky. Then he felt weight on his shoulder. He slowly turned to
see Imani leaning on him. Her eyes were closed and she seemed peaceful.
It felt so..... right.
Just then, a head poked through the ceiling. "Hey, you two. Tenchi says to
tell you dinner is ready."
Imani sat up. Ryoga missed the warmth, but jumped down to go inside. Imani
followed.
They sat at the table. Sasami smiled and passed out the food.
"Imani-san, where are you from?"
Imani considered as she ate. "I don't remember. I don't think it exists
anymore."
Yosho nodded. "I thought so. You are the Wordsmith Song then?"
Imani looked startled, then nodded. "Yes, I am the Wordsmith Song. However,
ever since my brother died, I've been the Wordsmith Words."
"Wordsmith?" Ryoga asked.
Imani nodded. "Many years ago my friends and I made a series of wishes that
has blessed and cursed us. I only remember 100 years off the top if my head,
but I can remember at least a thousand. More than that is pushing it."
Yosho nodded. "Then you would remember the Jurai."
Imani paused and then said, "I remember the planet's existance, but nothing
specific."
Ryoga cleared his throat. "Planet Jurai?"
Imani smiled. "The planet Jurai has quite an advanced civilization. They
have been to earth a few times. If I am correct, Yosho-san is of Jurain
royalty."
He nodded. "Aeka, Tenchi, and Sasami are also of Jurain royalty."
The purple haired princess nodded. "I believe I may have heard of the
Wordsmiths before I was put into cryogenic stasis."
****
Brian was the first to notice Hotaru's failing strength. He had learned the
signs over the many lifetimes the Wordsmiths had lived. Because of the
wishes each had made, Hotaru would die and be reborn elsewhere. They would
find her when she was ready to awaken.
He noticed that she was very quiet. She always did regain more memory in
the ending times.
He thought over why it was happening so soon. They usually had at least 10
years together. Perhaps it was because of her advanced aging in this
lifetime as a child. He picked her up and she snuggled close, now having
memories of her years spent
married to Brian.
The others could see Hotaru aging before their eyes.
*****
Ranma looked around. "We're only a few minutes from my cousin's house. We
should stop for a rest." He avoided looking at Hotaru.
Brian nodded. "I agree. Mark?"
Mark nodded. "We must hurry. The pattern shifts around us."
The doubled their pace.
****
There was a knock at the door and Sasami answered it. She bounced back into
the dining room. "Imani, your friends are here!"
Imani stood as Brian holding Hotaru, led the others in.
"Ranma!" Tenchi exclaimed and ran to hug his cousin.
"How ya been?" Ranma asked.
Ranma turned to Akane. "This is my cousin Masaki Tenchi." He turned to
Tenchi. "This is my fiance Tendo Akane. Our dad's set us up."
Tenchi nodded. "Hello Akane. Ranma always was a lucky one."
Akane blushed.
Ryoko wondered why he was never that charming around her.
Ranma balked. "Umm, well, you see, I can explain..."
Thankfully, Ranma said nothing especially stupid, because the Wordsmiths
and Yosho were examining Hotaru.
Imani was deathly quiet. "Can we make her comfortable?"
Yosho nodded. "We can put her in Sasami's bed for now."
They carried her upstairs. Ryouga watched, but didn't follow.
Rei turned to Michiru. "What's going on?"
Both Haruka and Michiru seemed on edge now. They vaguely remembered what
was going on.
Ranma poked Ryoga. "Hey, pig-boy, good work getting Imani lost like that."
Ryoga immediately turned to fight, but stopped as he heard someone on the
stairs. It was Imani. She gestured for Michiru and Haruka to come up. Both
ran up the stairs.
Ryoko sat next to Tenchi on the couch. Aeka sat on the floor suddenly,
realizing what exactly was happening.
Imani finally said the words. "My daughter is dying. Please be quiet."
They all nodded. Rei sat with Ayeka. Akane joined Rei. The three chatted
quietly to avoid thinking about what was happening upstairs.
Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ranma talked of family. Sasami sat with Ryo-ohki off to
the side, wishing in her heart that she could help.
The phone rang and Sasami ran off to get it. "Moshi-moshi?"
"This is the goddess relief hotline. Please standby while we send your
consultant," a voice said.
******
Imani leaned over her daughter, who was in the body of a fifyteen year old.
She lightly brushed her hair with her fingers. Hotaru sang softly to the
entire group assembled with her.
"When the night has come,
And the land is dark.
And the moon is the only light we'll see.
No I won't... be afraid, no I won't be afraid,
Just as long as you stand - stand by me.
So darling, darling stand... by me.
Won't you stand by me? Stand by me.
If the sky, that we look upon, should crumble and fall,
Or the mountains, fall into the sea.
I won't cry... I won't cry... No, I won't shed a tear.
Just as long as you stand - stand by me."
Brian put his hands on her shoulders. "Yes. I will."
******
There was a pop. Sasami turned to see a woman with long brown hair and
marks on her forehead smiling at her. "I am the goddess Belldandy."
Sasami hung up the phone and asked awkwardly. "Can I help you?"
Belldandy smiled wider. "I have come to grant you any wish of your
choosing. I can only grant you ONE wish though."
Sasami thought she was dreaming. What would she wish for? Then she saw
Imani's face filled with dread. Brian's tender embrace. Mark's eyes. Nyale's
stance.
"I wish that I could help Imani's daughter not to die." Sasami said.
This is insane! a voice inside her cried. You don't even know the girl's
name! You could have anything! You could go home!
She squashed the voice.
The goddess began to glow and said, "Granted."
****
Sasami and the goddess appeared upstairs. Everyone turned to look at the
goddess. The Wordsmith's recognized the mark on her face and were filled
with hope.
"According to the wish made by Sasami, I say this. Hotaru and Sasami are
now soul-bound. As long as Sasami lives, so shall Hotaru. Also, Hotaru is by
blood and soul Imani's daughter. Sasami is now the Wordsmith Fusion.
Together must be Silence and Fusion, for they are as one."
Then the goddess vanished.
Brian broke the silence. He turned to Sasami. "Do you realize what you have
done?"
Sasami nodded. "I cured her."
Imani found her voice. "I think we need to conference with everyone. I
don't want to explain this more than once."
The Wordsmiths, Yosho, and the two Outer Senshi nodded.
Yosho looked over Hotaru. "She will sleep for a few hours. Those of you
with parents should call."
They all headed downstairs. Imani looked over her child, who was now in a
sixteen year old body. She caressed her face. Then she headed down after the
others.
****
Because Sasami's encounter had been in the kitchen, the others didn't know
what had happened. So when they saw everyone coming down, they assumed the
worst.
Then Imani came down the stairs. She surveyed the group. Her eyes were
impassive and she was very tense.
All eyes watched her every move. Then she smiled.
They all began to smile before they even knew it. She sat next to Ryoga,
who instinctively put his arms around her.
"I will explain." Imani said. "Brian, Nyale, Hotaru, Mark, and I are
wordsmiths. We were born many many years ago in nations that are not even
known of anymore. Brian, my eldest brother, and I were sheep herders. Hotaru
was a bard. Nyale was a dancer. Mark was just there." For Mark, the comment
was fitting. "We came together and shared our talents.
One day we found an old oil lamp. We made wishes on it as a joke. Hotaru
wished that she would never grow old. I wished that we would see every major
historical happening. Brian wished we would never stop playing and
versifying. Mark wished that we woud stay together forever. Nyale wished
that we would have many happy times." She paused. "Because of her wish,
every time Hotaru reaches age 20 she becomes a baby again. In one of these
lifetimes she became Sailor Saturn.
But tonight, Sasami has changed that. She has made it so that Hotaru will
not die. She has become a wordsmith also. We wordsmiths owe her a great
debt."
Sasami looked awestruck. "I did that?"
Mark nodded. "A new thread has entered the tapestry."
"Have you ever really affected history?" Aeka asked.
Brian grinned.
'49 "Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China,
Johnny Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe
DiMaggio.
'50 Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon,
Studebaker, Television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn
Monroe
'51 Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray,
Panmunjom
Brando, The King and I and The
Catcher In The Rye.
'52 Einsenhower, Vaccine, England's got a
new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana
goodbye.
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it.
'53 Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and
Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist
Bloc.
'54 Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini,
Dacron
Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around
The Clock.
'55 Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got
a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis
Presley, Disneyland.
'56 Bardot, Budapest, Alabama,
Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place,
Trouble in the Suez.
**Chorus**
'57 Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey
Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The
River Kwai.
'58 Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle,
California baseball
Starkweather, Homicide, Children of
Thalidomide.
'59 Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, Space
Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a
no-go.
'60 U-2, Syngman Rhee, payola and
Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians
in the Congo.
**chorus**
'61 Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger In A
Strange Land
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs Invasion.
'62 Lawerence Of Arabia, British
Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats
Patterson.
'63 Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British
Politician Sex
J.F.K. blown away, what else do I
have to say.
**chorus**
'64 - '89
Birth Control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard
Nixon back again
Moonshot, Wookstock, Watergate,
Punk Rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on
the airline
Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in
Afghanistan.
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, Heavy
Metal, Suicide
Foreign debts, Homeless Vets, AIDS,
Crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shore, China's
under martial law
Rock and Roller Cola Wars, I can't
take it anymore.
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning on us
We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
Will it still burn on, and on, and on,
and on..."
Brian's voice trailed off as he yawned.
Imani looked over at the clock. "It's really late."
Nyale stood. "I'll watch over Hotaru tonight. You all should get some
rest." She gazed sternly at Imani, Brian, Haruka, and Michiru. "If you don't
sleep I swear I will knock unconscious myself."
They all surrendered and slept.
*****^******
In the morning Imani worked out the details. Both Hotaru and Sasami would
move in with her. Sasami would train under Nyale. In a day or so would be
school again and the Wordsmiths would have to deal with Thogan, who was now
called Kuno.
End Pt.3
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