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Savere Hotaru

There are two types of people. Thosec who divide people into 2 types and 
those who don't.


Wordsmiths
Pt.1

Tomoe Hotaru gathered up her books and headed towards the door
of the classroom. SHe had not even reached the doorway before the class
began to mutter behind her. One of the older boys leaned
against his desk. "And the little witch slinks off to join her
shadows."

She headed down the hall which was uncharacteristically empty.
He followed her. "I wonder if she will cast a spell on us?"

A boy blocked her path. "Maybe she already has, I thought I
was cursed when I took that test today."
Hotaru tried to go around them, but more boys crircled her.
They all laughed and she drew into the center. "Leave me alone."
she said weakly.

Further comments stopped as an older girl arrived on the scene. She leaned
seductively on the main bully and began to sing.

"Turn back, old man, foreswear your foolish ways." Her voice
was smooth and sultry. "All now is earth and none may count her
days." She grinned and weaved through the circle singing, "Da da
da duh da."

"Met thou, her child, whose head is crowned in flame." The
younger boys were seemingly entranced by this sempai (1).

"Still wilt not heed, thy inner voice proclaim." She had returned
to the leader.  "Turn back old man," To another who was
watching from a desk in the hall. "Is your seat comfortable sir?"

"Turn back old man," she examined another's watch. "Hmm, i
like that,"

She stepped into the center and grabbed Hotaru's hand.
"Foreswear your foolish ways," She pulled Hotaru with her, but the
boys were too stunned to move. "See ya later we're headed to the
front of the theatre." She led a disbelieving Hotaru outside.
                             *
As they exited Hotaru examined the older girl. She
had her hair pulled up in a braided bun that was fastened with a
wooden stick down the center. She wore a red long sleeve shirt made
of velvet and blue jeans. Her eyes sparkled mischeviously. "A-arigato (2) 
sempai."

The girl nodded and extended her hand in an American fashion
"I am Savere Imani."

Hotaru took it and gave it a light shake. "Tomoe Hotaru."

Imani could see the thoughts behind Hotaru's eyes. "You want
to know what I did."

Hotaru nodded. "I've never seen anything like it."

Imani grinned and stood straight. "I will explain as I walk
you home. My effect has only been known to last for fifteen minutes
and I don't want them to be angry at you on my account. They'll
forget by tomorrow."

Hotaru nodded. "Arigato Imani-sempai."

"Just Imani," she said. "No need to be formal." They headed
in the direction Hotaru led. "What I did was a verbal paralysis.
I shocked them. It's one of my talents."

Hotaru nodded. "You have a beautiful voice."

Imani laughed cheerily. "Thank you, my three friends and I are
here on a music scholarship from America. We run a music program
at the Middle School. I'll be here for at least two years."

"Do you go to the High School?" Hotaru asked.

Imani shook her head. "I am on home teaching. I like to spend
my time at the school."

"What do you do in your program?" Hotaru asked.
Imani grinned and spinned happily. "We sing, we dance, we
write songs, we rewrite songs, in short we do a lot. It's tons of
fun, if you can get into it."

Hotaru seemed intrigued. "What do you mean?"

Imani looked around. "Life has a rhythm, Hotaru-chan. If you
can follow it, you can do a lot. Can you hear it?"

Hotaru looked into Imani's exited face and laughed, but shook
her head. Imani grinned. "I'll show you." She pointed to a house
where a man was hammering nails. "Do you hear the thumping. That
is part of the rhythm. Focus on it. Listen to your heartbeat and
put the two together."

Hotaru focused on the thump and then her heartbeat. They were
counter beats. She saw Imani move into step with the rhythm. "Now
for the music. Do you hear the birds?"

The birds filled in the music of Hotaru's rhythm. She
unconsciously began to dance. The sound of cars made a random
addition that kept her on her toes. The bell from the train tracks
joined the melody as she and Imani moved down the street.

Hotaru suddenly realized she stood in front of her house and
stopped. She wasn't out of breath, as she usually was after such
a workout.

Imani grinned at her. "You felt it, the rhythm, the passion."

Hotaru nodded and felt her heart filled with happiness. "I
have to go." she said, suddenly sad.

Imani nodded, but did not lose her smile. "If all parts of the
rhythm were always present we wouldn't enjoy them as much. Until
tomorrow Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru went into the house and sat to do her homework with a
light heart.
                                  *

Hotaru grinned as her adoptive parents arrived. "Sorry we're
late, the car got stuck." Tenoh Haruka said.

"That's alright," Hotaru said.

Michiru eyed her curiously. "You seem happy."

Hotaru nodded enthusiastically. "I met a sempai from America
today who runs a music program in our school. She's really cool!"

Michiru grinned slyly and looked and looked at Haruka. Hotaru cut in, "NOT 
like
that. She stopped the bullies with just a few lines from a song and
they were paralyzed for fifteen minutes."

Haruka looked impressed. "Just words huh, interesting girl.
How old was she?"

"Sixteen?" Hotaru guessed.

"Three years older than you," Michiru commented. "That probably
helped the affect on the boys. Was she pretty?"

Hotaru gave her withering glance. "That has nothing to do with
it."
The doorbell rang and Hotaru ran to get it.
Haruka smiled. "It's good to see her getting friends."

Michiru nodded. "This girl sounds very interesting." She
frowned absently. "Her description reminds me of something, but I
can't quite remember."

They all heard a surprised exclamation of, "Imani-chan!" from
the living room and wandered in.

A girl with long red hair stood at the door. Her hand held
something behind her back. "Are you free?"

Hotaru-chan nodded, but was too surprised to speak.

"So am I," Imani sang in a vaguely South American accent.
Music seemed to gather around her to Hotaru's ears and filled in
the melody. "What a fortunate coincidence, maybe you're my reward
for my effort there tonight."

Her tone and facial expression changed to a possibly more
feminine look. She danced inside but her package remained concealed
from the three the whole time. "It seems crazy but you must
believe, there's nothing calculated nothing planned," She turned
to Michiru and Haruka. "Please forgive me, if I seem naive, I
wouldn't want you to misunderstand."

She turned back to Hotaru. "But please understand, I'd be good
for you. I'd be surprisingly good for you."

"I don't always rush in like this, seven hours after saying
hello, telling strangers I'm too good to miss, if I'm wrong I hope
you tell me so. But you really should know I'd be good for you. I'd
be surprisingly good for you."

She went down on one knee and held out her prize. It was a
bouquet of rolled music scores. "Would you join my music program?"

Hotaru burst out laughing as the music ebbed. "I know that
wasn't a come on. I'd love to join the program." Her normal
attitude fought back. "But I'm not very good with music."

Imani stood and jumped back as if in pain. "Hotaru-chan, don't
say that. You caught it this afternoon. Music comes next, but the
rhythm is first."

Hotaru regained her smile. "Yeah, I did."

Imani gave her a sisterly hug. "Good, I'll see you in school
tomorrow. We meet in room 219 during lunch periods and after
school."

Then Imani noticed the two. "I am Savere Imani."

Haruka held out her hand. "Tenoh Haruka."

Michiru smiled at her. "You have a wonderful gift, Imani-san.
I am Kaioh Michiru."

Imani's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "The famous violinist?"

Michiru blushed. "I suppose you could say that."

Imani smiled. "The only person who plays better than you has at least
a few hundred years experience.

Imani looked at her watch. "I got to go. When I was in America I found
a tape of Michiru-san's music. I could find no one who could play
the pieces quite like she does."

Imani hugged Hoatru and headed out the door with a final bow.
                              *
"What do you think of her?" Michiru asked when Hotaru had gone
to bed.

Haruka seemed confused. "Her voice is beautiful. She seems nice and
Hotaru really likes her." Haruka said. "Hotaru seems totally out of her
depression."

                              *2*

The next day, Hotaru brought her lunch to room 219 where a
small group of people sat. Imani immediately noticed her. "Come
in."

There were five people apart from Imani. One boy was Imani's
age with short red hair. He was introduced as Mark.The next seemed
older, with long dark hair. His eyes twinkled merrily. He was
introduced as Brian. The next was a girl with long blonde hair. She
was Nyale.

Two students were also there. She recognized a vocalist from
the school chorus, but the other was a boy who was constantly in
trouble.

He grumbled, "Why is she here?

Imani smiled and looked to the other sempais. "Vote."

Nyale nodded. "Aye,"

Mark nodded, "Sure!"

Brian, "Of course,"

Imani nodded and looked to Hotaru. "Welcome to the Wordsmiths.
I am the Wordsmith of words."

Nyale smiled. "I am the Wordsmith of Dance,"

"I am the Wordsmith of Life." Mark said.

Brian bowed. "I am the Wordsmith of Music."

The recalcitrant student looked around. "What am I DOING
here?"

Imani smiled at him. "You are here to gain credits so you can
pass eighth grade."

Hotaru sat down. "What just happened?"

Brian explained. "We are a group from America. We
work as a team in a task we choose and we will not give up until
we win. Our task is to educate the people here of the significance
of music and silence."

Hotaru looked up sharply. Mark continued. "Those here have no
realization of the rhythm of life. They continue in disarray."

"They flit from one thing to another because they don't
understand the dance that follows the rhythm." Nyale said.

Imani finished in a low, but clear tone. "How can the rhythm,
the music, the dance, and the words be understood if there is not
first silence?"

Hotaru was stunned. She had always seen Silence as the end.
These people saw it as a beginning. A ray of hope filled her.

Imani broke the thrall by putting in a CD. "Let's see you catch
the rhythm of this."

It was very upbeat music by South American singers. The two
other students watched as Hotaru let herself be pulled forward by
Nyale. "You've heard the rhythm. Follow it."

Hotaru saw that the girl was weaving complicated patterns and
despaired.

Nyale shook her head. "Start simple." She just moved her feet.
Hotaru followed. Nyale's hips moved and Hotaru followed. Hotaru was
amazed. She felt complete balance and wholeness through the rhythm.

When the bell rang Imani stopped her by the door and and gave
her a chain. It was silver with a quill and scroll on it. "You are
the Wordsmith of Silence. Welcome."
                                *******





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