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 12: Casualties of War.
The drive to the hospital was tense, to say the least. Nabiki asked Qiang Pu rapid-fire questions in Chinese as she grilled her ward on the events of the past day. Every detail she can wring out of her in the twenty minute drive through Tokyo's late night traffic is gathered and catalogued, as Qiang Pu answered in a daze, not even really sure of what she was answering at the moment. The only reason she can is because of how she was trained to deal with Elders. Qiang Pu's mind was racing, as she tried to figure out what happened, how it could have happened. As she wracked herself with guilt for not walking her friend home that night.
There is also a fury that is slowly building, a rage that seethed just under the surface. How could someone have hurt someone like Yaayaa? How dare they. Whoever it was, they would pay. Obstacles were for killing, and enemies must be destroyed utterly. That was the way of the Tribe. Perhaps it was time to look back at her past, to embrace her people's ways. It was time for vengeance, once she knew who did this. The why, the why others could worry about. All that mattered now, at this moment, was making sure that Yaayaa was safe, and that those that hurt her never could do so again.
Qiang Pu jerked when she was pulled out of her dark ruminations by the soft, warm hand of Elder Nabiki on hers. "It's be okay, Qiang Pu. Everything is going to be okay. We will have the absolute best doctors that money can get working on her. The police will take care of whoever did this. I promise, it will be okay." Nabiki said as she glanced at her young ward, then back at the road. What she said next went out unheard by her preoccupied ward. "And maybe it's time to call in a favor from Konatsu. Yaayaa's family… and we protect family."
Qiang Pu retreated to the dark recesses of her mind, as she looked at Nabiki. She was soft, and was likely to forgive, that is what outsiders did. They relied on their police and courts.
Blood demanded blood.
Justice and vengeance are two lovers that walk hand in hand.
That is what she had been taught, and perhaps it was past time to return to the ways she knew.
Qiang Pu nodded to herself as she turned to look at Elder, no, at the outsider, Nabiki.
"Yes, will be fine. Qiang Pu make sure." Qiang Pu said in even rougher Japanese than normal, and looked back at the road. She didn't see the worried look that Nabiki gave her, or for that matter, she would not have cared. Soft outsiders couldn't understand, couldn't be trusted to do what needed to be done. Perhaps the iron she had seen before was wishful thinking on her part, a hope that her father had found someone worthy of him.
Nabiki gave her young ward a worried look, then sighed. Something to worry about later, once they had seen how Yaayaa was, and what needed to be done to get her back to normal. She could easily see the effect that Yaayaa and the ladies from the Teahouse had on Qiang Pu. Nabiki would freely admit that she was proud of who the girl she already thought of as her daughter was becoming, of the progress she had made in such a short period of time. She didn't want to see all that progress thrown away. Hopefully, the situation was not as bad as she thought it might be.
Sadly, her hopes were quickly destroyed when she was met with Yaayaa's mothers heartbroken visage. The two women stepped aside as Nabiki hugged the other woman gently, and stroked her back comfortingly.
Qiang Pu sat down almost numbly as she looked around. She didn't like this place. It smelled of chemicals and, if you knew what to look for, death and disease. How a place like this could be an institution of healing, she was not sure of. Better to visit the wise women on the Council of Elders or one of the dedicated healers of the village, she thought.
Shortly, a doctor came for Yaayaa's mother, and Nabiki came back to sit quietly besides Qiang Pu. She took a deep breath, then started to talk. "Yaayaa is in surgery right now, they are fairly confident that she will pull through, but they won't know how bad the damage is until she wakes up. She was beaten pretty severely, including blows to her head, neck, and back. I called Ono, and he is on his way. He said he would contact Mother Konatsu, and get her to start working on things on her end, once we find out what happened and how she is doing. I am so sorry that this had to happen to Yaayaa, dear." Nabiki took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she reached for Qiang Pu's hand. "It's going to be okay, dear. We will make this right, and see that those responsible pay for what they have done."
"What? What you do? Send to jail? Slap hand? No, the ones that hurt Yaayaa should die. They will die. Blood begets blood. It is the Joketsuzoku way. Is way that Qiang Pu should never have turned back on." Qiang Pu said heatedly as she yanked her hand away, and tried to harden her heart to the sad look she got from Nabiki.
"They will be taken care of, dear, once we know who did this, and why. We need to get to the bottom of this, see if it was some random act or if there is a purpose to it." Nabiki said as she tried to calm the angry warrioress.
"Why do why matter? They do, they die. Is simple. Is right. Once know who did this, take care of it. Obstacles are for killing. Enemies are to be destroyed." Qiang Pu said angrily as she glared at Nabiki.
"You know that things don't work the same way here, Qiang Pu. And finding out why this happened is important, so we can make sure that it doesn't happen again." Nabiki tried to reason with her young ward.
"Qiang Pu no like how things work here! Is all talk talk talk, no do! Is time to do! Is time to act! Once know Yaayaa is safe, then Qiang Pu hunt." Qiang Pu said hotly.
"And how will you find them? Just wander around beating up people until someone might know something that might be relevant? This is not some little backwater village, Qiang Pu. There are millions of people here, and unless you want to expose yourself to the people that might still be chasing you or any number of others, you need to stop and think this through." Nabiki said as she tried to keep her temper under control as well.
"Is sorry come from little backwater village, Nabiki. Is sorry left!" Qiang Pu said as she got up and stalked off a short distance, pointedly not looking at Nabiki as the older woman sighed and rubbed her face.
Nabiki looked at the ceiling and kicked herself for losing her temper with Qiang Pu. She didn't like any of this. This had all happened so fast, and to go after Yaayaa? Surely, if it wasn't some random act it was someone who knew about Qiang Pu's connection to Yaayaa, and was trying to take advantage of that. She had to be careful, to make sure no one else was hurt, and also that she didn't end up driving the young girl away. She just hoped that Yaayaa was going to pull through this okay. If anything else happened to her, there was no way she could keep Qiang Pu from going off on some bloody rampage.
There were times when just how much she was like Ranma could be a bit of a problem. But, all in all Nabiki was glad to have both of them in her life. Now, she just needed to make sure that Yaayaa also stayed a part of their lives, if she could manage that. Once again, she wished that Ranma was here, instead of taking care of whatever mess had brought Qiang Pu to them in the first place. Nabiki shook her head, no use in worrying about the most capable person she knew, even if her heart did ache. No time to be weak, or missing her better half. She needed to be the Ice Queen more than ever, and deal with this situation. She had to protect Qiang Pu, no matter what it took.
Nabiki gently cradled the still sleeping Chiko, offering and taking comfort in the simple act. It would be okay. Yaayaa would be okay. She had to be.
Qiang Pu stood for a while off to the side before she took a seat at a distance from Nabiki and Chiko so that she could think. Nabiki had a point, as much as she hated to admit it. Without knowing who was responsible, it would be almost impossible to get revenge and deliver justice on those who had dared to hurt Yaayaa.
Qiang Pu jerked a bit when her phone buzzed with a LINE message from Xaph Ti. Qiang Pu pulled her phone out and read what she had received. 'I heard that Yaayaa had been hurt. Is she okay? How are you doing, and any idea what happened?' The message read.
Qiang Pu glanced at Nabiki before she responded. 'We are at the hospital now. I haven't heard what happened yet. She is in surgery now.'
The reply came almost immediately. 'I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully she will not be called to sit by the ancestors yet. Those that did this should be properly punished.' Xaph Ti Pyn sent back.
Qianf Pu gritted her teeth before she replied. "You want the police to handle this, too. I thought better of you than that.'
The reply that came made Qiang Pu pause for a moment. 'Blood begets blood. They deserve to be destroyed, to die for hurting such a sweet girl."
Qiang Pu looked at Nabiki then turned her attention back to her phone as she replied. 'I didn't expect to hear something like that from you. Most people want to let the police handle things, to find peaceful, nonviolent solutions to things that should be settled with violence, with blood.'
The reply came almost immediately. 'It's not always possible to settle things peacefully. Sometimes, you need to exert the proper amount of force to make it clear that things must be a certain way. It's something that most 'civilized' people have forgotten.'
Qiang Pu nodded to herself as she thought about it, then was pulled from her thoughts by the doctor walking in. He talked quietly to Yaayaa's mother for a period of time, then bowed deeply to her and walked back into the restricted portion of the hospital.
Almost as soon as he left, Nabiki had once more started to comfort the other woman, before casting a worried look at Qiang Pu. She said gently, but loud enough for Qiang Pu to hear. "You should go sit with her until she wakes up. The doctor might be wrong, it's still too early to know until she wakes up. You should spend some time with her now, and we will see her a bit later, okay?"
Yaayaa's mother nodded sadly, then hurried to where a nurse was waiting so that she could be escorted to her daughters room. Nabiki sighed, then walked slowly over and knelt down next to where Qiang Pu had sat down.
"The doctor said that she should live, they have made it through some of the worst parts, but.. He said there is a chance she might be paralyzed, partially or fully. She suffered trauma to her neck and back, as well as a broken arm and leg. We will be able to go in and see her soon. Is there anything I can do to help you?" Nabiki asked gently, as she wished her eldest sister was here. Sadly, Kasumi would not be coming with Ono, she had to watch over their children.
"Is nothing can do. Qiang Pu take care of this. Like should have always." Qiang Pu said, before she pointedly looked away, and hardened her heart to keep from backing down as she could see the sad look in Nabiki's eyes.
"Don't do anything reckless, Qiang Pu. We will take care of this, I promise you." Nabiki said as she tried to bridge the gap she could already see forming.
"No! No police, no mercy, no forgive! They hurt Yaayaa, they die. Is only thing do." Qiang Pu said hotly, then refused to acknowledge Nabiki until they were allowed in to sit next to Yaayaa's bed.
Neither one spoke as Yaayaa's mother sat and watched her daughter with a forlorn look in her eyes.
Elsewhere, a furious Asuka yelled loudly at a group of muscular schoolmates of hers. "What do you mean you might have killed her? What happened to just scaring her? How did you idiots manage to bungle this so badly? I TOLD you that she had been spreading rumors about you, and your little 'conquests'. I TOLD you that you should confront her, and maybe scare it into her that she needed to keep to her own business. Instead, you idiots hurt or even kill her?" Asuka fumed loudly as she sent them away, and wondered just how things could have gotten so far out of hand. She had done exactly as Xaph Ti Pyn had suggested, so why didn't it work like it was supposed to?
It had to be the fault of Qiang Pu or Yaayaa, somehow. It was impossible that she might have messed up, after all.
No, it would be okay. Things would work out, just like Xaph Ti Pyn had said they would, they had to. It was just how things worked, after all. No matter what Asuka did , she always walked away scott free, and this time would be no different.
She would do anything to make sure that was the case, after all.