Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that I claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:
For Love and Money, Chapter 35
The new journey begins.
Amaya blushed as she looked back and forth between the Tofu's once again. Today was a big day for Hina and Yaayaa, and also for herself she supposed. It had been more than a little unreal when she had woken up in Lady Tofu's arms, with Lord Tofu laying on her other side. It had taken her a moment to realize where she was, and she had to admit she had felt a bit ashamed when the first thing she had done was to see if she had been dressed or not. And that she had been a little disappointed that she was wearing the sleepwear that Lady Tofu… that Kasumi…. Had helped her slip into when they had decided the emotionally drained geisha would just spend the night in their house.
Amaya had insisted at first she would sleep in the guest room, or on the couch, but that had been refused almost instantly. Kasumi could be surprisingly stubborn when she put her mind to it. She had said that since Amaya had accepted her offer, that there really was no reason for them not to start to get used to this new arrangement. At least Kasumi had been willing to accept that Amaya was not going to just immediately move in, even though Amaya was sure that they would have that conversation again soon enough.
When she had seen the children in the morning, Amaya had to admit she had been worried and more than a bit ashamed. That was until they lined up and gave her a hug, one by one. It would seem that all of the Tofu's were accepting of this new dynamic for the house.
Something that had eased her mind immensely.
Amaya bit her lip and slipped her hand into the larger one of the Lady Tofu as she watched her two young charges as they played together and chattered at each other, just like a pair of normal girls. But, she supposed, that was a big part of the reason for this unorthodox exchange. For these two to have as normal of lives as was possible.
Hina glanced over as she avoided another lunge from Yaayaa and smiled as she noticed what Amaya and Kasumi were up to. Yaayaa was far too young and inexperienced to notice the tension that had laid over the Tofu's and Amaya, but Hina had. It would seem that the three had finally decided to do something about it. One less thing that she had to watch from the sidelines, then. As entertaining as it had been for someone who had become a sort of professional voyeur when it came to others' love lives, it was also good to see good people doing what it took to find happiness, no matter how unconventional it was.
Of course, there was no way that things between them could be conventional. Doctor Tofu had started out as a doctor of traditional medicine, and by that she meant acupuncture and chiropractic but had expanded rapidly once he had come into contact with Ranma and the rest of the shadowy people that walked in that circle. Emergency medicine, surgery, internal and external medicine. He had learned as much as he could, and Mother Konatsu had quietly made sure that any door he faced was rapidly opened and now he was one of the most respected medical experts in and out of the underworld. It was what had made the chance that Hina and Yaayaa had taken possible.
Kasumi was the eldest daughter of a traditional Japanese family that ended up being about as unconventional as one could hope to be. A quiet and reserved woman when she had been younger, she had blossomed into a truly stunning example of a modern woman after she had been allowed to grow beyond her role in her early life as the stand-in mother and primary caretaker to her two younger sisters, and the anchor for her father after they had lost their mother. Since then, she had also grown in ways that the younger version of herself probably would never have seen coming, or known what to do about.
Of course, those were all aspects of what had made Amaya fall for her in the first place. If the two of them had not become the people that they had over the years, there was no way that Amaya would have met them, and certainly no way that she would have found herself in the kind of relationship she was in now.
And if she was going to be perfectly honest with herself, she had never felt more satisfied with her life as she did now. Not since she had bathed in the waters of the cursed springs and became the person she had been always meant to be.
Amaya smiled as she laced her fingers tightly in between Kasumi's and smiled a contented smile as she watched as the girls played an ever more energetic game of tag between the two of them.
Hina laughed as she slipped past Yaayaa once again, and it quickly started to become obvious why Doctor Tofu had recommended this. It wasn't just to help the younger girl burn off some of her excess energy, but to get her to learn what the limits of her new body really were. What the range of motion of the joints were, and what the center of gravity was. No matter how talented Hikaru was, there were limits imposed by the very nature of the body. Yes, the presence of a soul made some things possible that would not normally be, but at the same time there were limits unless you didn't care if the body survived
There had been many dolls over the years that had met just that fate. Pushed beyond the limits of their primitive construction. It had been the first incident like that when Hina had learned to transfer from one doll to another. She had sat in a broken doll for two months, scared and panicking until she had moved into another one that she had been staring at for what felt like ages. After that, she had moved from doll to doll as she needed, until many years later she had possessed a drunken woman and experienced what it was like to be human once again, even if it was only for a short period of time.
Hina smiled as she ducked under Yaayaa's outstretched arms and used one of the stepping techniques she had learned from Amaya. Honestly, the toolbox of techniques and tricks that the geisha had was kind of frightening. She was not in the same league as Tachi, Ranma or Mother Konatsu, but anyone not in that league would probably not be walking away from the little geisha. And if she had her knives, well, then she could definitely punch a bit higher than you would expect of someone who hadn't devoted their life to the martial arts.
Their game of tag ended when Doctor Tofu clapped his hands and called for them to rest. All five of them retired to a blanket that had been spread on the ground and a rather impressive spread laid out by Amaya and Kasumi. The teens were encouraged to talk about their game while they ate, then Doctor Tofu gave Yaayaa's body a quick check over to make sure that Hina had not overly stressed it before he smiled and let the teens go for a walk. The three adults stayed on the blanket as they settled into each other's presence.
After a bit, Amaya shifted nervously and cleared her throat before she looked at the Tofu's and knelt before them. "Would… it be presumptuous of this One to ask if she might be allowed to visit your residence again tonight?"
Amaya stayed in her position as the Tofu's exchanged a look before Kasumi gently rested her hand on Amaya's shoulder and prompted the geisha to look up. "Of course, Amaya dear. You are always welcome to visit at any time, and you are more than welcome to stay with us."
Amaya blushed and nodded. "This One…. Would like that."
Dr. Tofu smiled and nodded before he cleaned his glasses. "Good, because that was a very good night's sleep for both of us, Amaya. You are always welcome in our home, and in our bed."
As Amaya blushed bright Kasumi leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "And when you are ready to do more than sleep, I will be only too happy to pamper you to all of our satisfaction."
Amaya found out that she could, in fact, blush even more.
Qiang Pu sat cross legged with her little half brother in her lap as she read a book to him and reflected on a great many things. She didn't know what to think about her visit with Xaph Ti Pyn. The girl she was now seemed so very different from who she had been, but there were little bits and pieces that were the same. Still, it was hard to reconcile the reserved, quiet girl with the outgoing and direct person she had been.
Qiang Pu had realized quickly that she really did have to try to forget everything she had thought she had known about Xaph Ti, and try to just get to know this new her. Maybe then the guilt would start to recede from her mind.
She also hadn't heard from Yaayaa, but that was hardly surprising. She had avoided her friend after everything that had happened because she blamed herself for the state that Yaayaa was in. There were times she wished she had died in China, and not exposed all the people here to the dangers that had come in her wake. The strange little albino Japanese woman who she had started to talk to had said that survivor's guilt was not uncommon, and that with some help, it should lessen in time. That just like any wound, with proper treatment and time even wounds of the heart and mind could heal, even if they did leave scars of their own.
Elder Nabiki seemed distraught, but that was understandable. Her husband had gone into danger, and she had to rely on an outsider to pass her information. It had become obvious that something weighed on the Elder's mind, but she had to just hope that Elder Nabiki would tell her what she had found out when the time was right.
Until then, she had to try not to worry so much.
She would instead enjoy her time with her new found family, before she was returned to China and her Mother and Grandmother. She would have to make arrangements so that she could return to visit as often as she could. It would work out, right? Qiang Pu thought to herself as she hugged Chiko and drank in the warmth of the little boy.
It would be okay.
Nabiki sat back from the desk in her office at home and rubbed her eyes. She hadn't been able to talk to Ranma directly yet, and it frustrated her even if she understood why. There was too much of a possibility of too many interested parties being able to listen in. Douglas was the logical middle man, since the former Spook knew everyone that would want to listen in, sometimes personally. Still, it didn't really make it any better, knowing that. She desperately needed to hear Ranma's voice, to know that things would all work out. She needed to have Ranma at home right now, to help break the news to Qiang Pu, and to help make the tough decisions of what to do with both of his daughters.
The plans for the new House, and its various buildings, had helped distract her a little bit, but in the end that was all it was right now. A distraction from the problems that loomed ever closer to the surface. And, one of those problems had become that she really did not want to have to say goodbye to Qiang Pu. In the short time that she had been in Japan, so much had happened but also she had made so many new friends and had started to become a major piece in so many lives.
Especially her own.
She had always wanted a daughter, but the doctor had said the prospects of her having another child were not good. The specter of her own mother's death hung over her, and clung to her. Kasumi seemed to have avoided the issues that had drained their mother's vitality with each daughter that she had brought into this world, but the same could not be said of Nabiki.
Recovering from Chiko's birth had taken a long time, and even the delivery had not been without its own worries and problems. Problems that had made Ranma and her decide that it would probably be for the best if they didn't try again, not right away at least. Now, that option seemed to have been taken away unless they could figure out a way to remove the lock on her husband's curse.
The important thing was that Ranma had made it through this in one piece. She had already sent the transcript for her next message to Douglas, and he had promised to get it to .soon as possible. Now that things had settled a little bit, it was time to tell Ranma as much as they could about his other daughter, and the sinking suspicion that Nabiki had kept mostly to herself.
What if there were others? Others that they didn't know about, others that would one day appear out of nowhere.
More lost children needing A home.
Nabiki sighed and rubbed her eyes as she started to look over the next stack of documents and reports. Ever since Koda had agreed to become the new Mother, Nabiki and her company had been busier than ever before. Land had to be bought, permits paid for and bribes applied. Passports for the Lillie's that were as legal as possible, and updated passports for her sister, Doctor Tofu and the rest of their brood. The fact that Amaya had agreed to her sister's unusual request hadn't really surprised Nabiki, really. But it did mean that she had more work to do. Amaya had always been a bit harder of a case to , papers wise. She had contacted her associates in the States to get their help with making sure that Amaya's papers would pass muster when they went to China, and she was as confident as she could be.
It would be so much simpler once they established a House in the States.
Things to worry about another day.
For now, she would take a little break and spend time with her family. Qiang Pu and Chiko were playing in the main room, and she would join them. Maybe even put her rather lacking talent for cooking to work, and get Qiang Pu to help her in the kitchen.
Yes, that sounded like a good way to spend the night.