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:
Chapter 4: The economics of destiny.
Qiang Pu had thought she had a good grasp on who she was, and where she was supposed to be. She knew what her fate was to be, and what was expected of her. She would follow in her mother's footsteps and work her way up through the ranks of the tribe until she, too, took her place on the Council. It was the path that had been laid out for her from the moment she was born, what she had been groomed for.
It was disturbing how fast everything could change, how quickly her fate could be derailed, and her future cast into uncertainty. She had been cast into the outside world, a world she had been woefully unprepared for it would seem. Here, her fighting prowess and skills with weapons were nothing, or worse than nothing. Here, her cultural disdain for the outside world and superior attitude towards those that were not of her tribe could prove fatal, or at least a massive disadvantage.
Here, she had already met people that threw her preconceived notions out the window, that defied everything she had been taught. The formerly male outsiders like Tachi and Konatsu were to be respected, because they were warriors and they had endured the trial of Jusenkyo to achieve what they desired.
Nabiki though, was proving to be nothing if not unpredictable. She was no warrior, at least not like she had been taught to think of one. Her martial arts, while impressive for someone who was not a warrior, still left her a bare novice compared to any blooded Amazon warrior. Instead of acquiring power and conquest through strength of arms, she instead practiced cunning and subterfuge on a level that would leave Grandmother bewildered. She was every bit as much of a warrior as her mother, every bit as much a wise Elder as her Grandmother, but by everything she had been taught in the tribe, she should be considered nothing. No, less than nothing. A worthless outsider woman, barely worth the time to kill if she got in her way.
Qiang Pu had found herself starting to reconsider what she had been taught, how it compared to the views of the outer world, and she had found herself lacking. That is why she found herself being instructed in how to properly bow, of all things, by the gently smiling geisha who was watching her with a polite look on her face.
Koda was another one that Qiang Pu would have dismissed outright at one point not long ago. Of the Blooming Lilies of the Teahouse, she was one of the few who didn't have a background of a fighter or warrior of some sort. In fact, Qiang Pu knew little of her new teacher. At one time, that would have been acceptable, it would have been considered unnecessary for her to know more about an outsider woman who was below the males of the tribe, even.
Now, though she realized that she probably needed to know as much as possible, as much as the former man was willing to share with her. A lot more than her life could depend on it, the honor of the house that she was now associated with through her bond with Ranma. The fortunes of the House of Tendo were now tied to her, and she had started to realize just how heavy of a burden that could be.
It was almost amusing, that by leaving the village, she might learn to become a better leader for the village.
Qiang Pu rose and bowed once more, fighting to keep her eyes down as she had been instructed to. It was much harder than it sounded, for someone who had been trained her whole life to fight to leave herself so vulnerable. But, perhaps that was the point. She was starting to learn that the Japanese were once a warrior people, and that their traditions came from that time to a great deal. It made what she was learning now take on new meaning. Not only was it a sign of respect, it was an act of vulnerability, of trust.
It was incredibly unnerving.
Qiang Pu looked at her teacher when she was instructed to stand, and fidgeted a bit, uncertain how to address her or to interact with her correctly.
Koda smiled softly at the younger warrior and nodded her head "You wish to ask something of this One, my dear?"
Qiang Pu nodded, and gave Koda an awkward smile "Yes. Qiang Pu...I.. has many questions, no know how to ask right?"
Koda gave her a look as she corrected her "You have many questions, and you are unsure what is the right way to ask them."
Qiang Pu nodded sheepishly. "Yes, is...What meant."
Koda directed her young student to the table, sitting on the floor with fluid grace as Qiang Pu settled a bit more heavily. "The best way would be to say something like "I have a few questions for you, Koda, if I may ask?" Now, you try."
Qiang Pu nodded her head nervously and tried to force her faltering Japanese to be up to the task. "Qiang Pu...I… have a few questions for Koda, may I ask?" She grimaced, knowing that she had fallen short of what she was instructed to do, but she jerked in surprise when Koda nodded warmly.
"Much better, Qiang Pu. This One knows that it will not be easy, and that we will have to take many little steps, together. Now, this One can't promise that she will be able, or inclined, to answer all of your questions, but this One shall do her best to answer as many as she may." Koda answered with a fond little smile.
Qiang Pu nodded as she gathered her thoughts. "Okay, is thanks. So, you was mans before you came to Jusenkyo? Why get cursed? Qiang Pu know that at home, being womans is better than mans, but here is different? Is not mans better here, according to Japanese?"
Koda sighed and shook her head "You are going right for all the touchy ones. Yes, at one time this One had a man's body all the time, and did not realize why this One always felt like she didn't fit in her own skin. The One was actually one of the first to volunteer to take on the curse, after Mother Konatsu helped me realize who and what the One was. At one time, there was a different name and destiny attached to my life. The curse gave this One what she had always been missing, a body that matched her soul." Koda took a moment to collect her thoughts before she pressed onward.
"And yes, the Japanese, like most of the outside world, can be a bit sexist, seeing men as being inherently better than women. This One does not share that opinion, because she has lived in both worlds, perhaps. And as per our agreement, we do return to our birth forms from time to time, depending on the individual." Koda explained.
"Why do that? Is not what form wanted to be?" Qiang Pu asked.
"Because we need to be able to function in our birth forms, my dear. We can't guarantee we will remain locked all the time, after all. So, it's best to keep a bit in practice, as it were." Koda answered honestly.
"Qiang Pu think understand. Is like practicing weapon no longer use, but might need to?" Qiang Pu ventured.
Koda nodded and smiled happily. "It very much is, indeed. Now, what else would you like to know before we continue?"
"Can ask...Who Koda was before? Is know what you like now, but….Is wondering who was? If Qiang Pu step too, too far tell her?" Qiang Pu asked, looking nervous.
Koda gave Qiang Pu an inscrutable look. "And why would you want to know something like that?"
Qiang Pu bowed her head "Sorry, no should ask. Qiang Pu..I..was just curious what Koda like before become...Koda. Was like this before? Or, did Koda change as much as Qiang Pu feel she must?"
Koda was quiet for a bit, before she got up and poured fresh tea for them both, placing it carefully on the table before Qiang Pu and her seats, then gracefully she sat back down. She remained silent for a bit, with the embarrassed eyes of the young girl flitting to and fro. After a minute, she sighed and took a sip and when she put down her cup, she started to talk.
"At one time, this One was an office worker like all the rest. Just a corporate drone, a salaryman who would have lived out his entire life working for some company, and probably died alone. He was dragged to the Teahouse one night by a bunch of friends who wanted to go out drinking, and thought it sounded like fun. You know, go see the guys in drag and laugh at the stubble and such? That...was not what we found. It was impossible to tell most of the men from those who were born as women. The novelty wore off pretty fast for most of them, and they just spent the night drinking and being rowdy. Some of them even managed to get themselves put on Konatsu's black list, the list of people not allowed into the Teahouse." She paused as she took another sip, followed by the stunned looking girl across from her.
"Koda was salaryman? Is...Very hard believe for Qiang Pu." Qiang Pu admitted.
Koda nodded, then a mischievous look filled her eyes before her placid, serene expression returned. "If you want to know more, then you must ask, correctly. With the right pronouns and proper grammar. This One knows you can do it, if you put your mind to it."
Qiang Pu gave her an almost accusatory look, then laughed. "Please teacher, tell...Me more? I..want to hear more, if you will?" She said slowly, stumbling just a bit.
Koda nodded, a pleased look on her face. "While some of my companions were told to never return, this One received a different note, a neatly folded letter in a pristine, white envelope unlike the sable black ones they had been handed. Mind you, this One panicked a bit, for reasons that she was unsure of at the time. When this One opened it, thought, it turned out to be an invitation to a private performance at a future date and time, open for negotiation."
Koda looked like she might stop, but at the anxious look she got, she giggled and continued. "That was the first of several private performances that this One was invited to. In time, it was no longer one of the other geisha but Mother Konatsu herself who was taking care of this One. Then, the questions started, asking what this One thought of their performance, or their dancing. This One started to feel like I fit, for the first time. Then, came the night that changed everything. I was given the full hospitality of the House, and bathed by the Mother herself. When we left the bath, there were two yukatas waiting for this One. One was in the finest sable and blue, a traditional men's yukata. The other though, was in pink and white with a lovely floral pattern to it. That was the first time this One was given a choice, a chance to explore who and what this One was, and could be. This One wore the floral yukata, and Konatsu and the other girls of the House did the makeup, and this One could not believe how...Right...it felt." She drifted off, smiling at the stunned look on Qiang Pu's face.
"This One quit her job the next day, and formally entered the House. A year of hard work later, and this One was accepted fully into the House, and then offered a chance to travel to Jusenkyo. Never has this One regretted her choice." Koda said with a fond smile.
"So, all of this...was chance? Was luck?" Qiang Pu asked in shocked disbelief.
Koda shook her head, a smile on her lips. "As Mother says, there is no chance, no luck. We forge it ourselves out of our hard work and the opportunities that we are given and find for ourselves. She refers to it as the economics of destiny, this One thinks that name must be a gift from Madam Nibiki. It sounds like something she would say, after all."
Qiang Pu nodded slowly, unable to disagree with her before she carefully moved away from the table, and slowly, gracefully bowed deeply, kowtowing to the older Geisha. "Please, teacher. Teach Qiang Pu...No, teach ME to be better. To fit in better. To not bring disgrace on the Elder who has taken Qiang...No, taken ME in."
The former salaryman smiled a warm, soft smile as she knelt down and helped Qiang Pu to her feet. "Very well, Qiang Pu. This One will teach you all she knows, and find others to fill in the gaps if that is what you wish. You are very much your father's daughter."
The happy smile that crossed Qiang Pu's face seemed to make the room feel a bit warmer, happier. "Thank you, teacher!"