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 18: An invitation to tea, Part 2.
Konatsu saw her guest out, and safely to the car that would take her back home. She sighed then spoke softly to Koda, who had come to stand at her side. "This One believes that neither of the two young ladies involved deserve the fates that have been handed to them, but perhaps together they can change fate."
Koda nodded as she watched the car leave. "Gosunkugi has sent a message, if this One may interest you in receiving it?"
Konatsu nodded as she led Koda back towards her office. "This One would find herself intrigued to hear what Master Gosunkugi might have to say to this One "
Koda nodded as she opened the door for Mother Konatsu, and then followed her in and shut it before she knelt down opposite of Konatsu. Koda pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from within her kimono and laid it on Konatsu's desk as she bowed.
"Master Gosunkugi sends his regards, and thanks you for the assistance that we have offered his partner. He hopes that the requested information he passes along is of help to you." Koda said before she sat up and looked at Konatsu. "He found her. Would you like this One to send a group to invite the young lady to join us?"
"That will not be necessary. It would be better if this One were to deliver the invitation personally." Konatsu said as she opened the note and read the contents herself.
"A personal invitation, Mother?" Koda asked as she blinked a bit, a bit thrown off her usual composure by the statement.
"Yes, this One thinks that it would be best. One must make the proper impression on unruly guests, and teach them the correct limits of behaviour, after all. Children sometimes must be scolded and corrected, if they are ever to learn to rise above their worst impulses." Konatsu said as she rose gracefully.
"Of course, Mother. Should this One arrange for a car?" Koda asked as she stood, once more the perfect, impassive image.
"This One would find it most convenient." Konatsu said with a porcelain smile.
"As you wish, Mother." Koda said as she bowed and walked off quickly, but retaining that proper subtle glide to her steps.
Konatsu watched Koda leave, then allowed herself to sigh. It would seem that she had best take care of this mess sooner rather than later, before Xaph Ti Pyn became even more desperate. If she had been counting on support or guidance from her mother, Konatsu was fairly certain that would not be coming. If Rai Zur was in China, as Konatsu suspected, she was more than likely dealing with a very irate Ranma by now. And even if her allies were who she suspected them to be, she didn't worry overly much for Ranma's sake. Many had faced Ranma, but they had seen Ranma when it was about business, or duty. Ranma was a far scarier beast when it came to friends and family, and as much as he might say otherwise, he considered those that dwelled in the village of the Amazons both. The mother of his child, and those that had taught him.
Rai Zur had chosen poorly in making a true enemy of Ranma Tendo, and that was a fact that Konatsu was sure would haunt her for as long as she lived. A time that would probably not last for much longer, once Ranma got his hands on her. It was probably for the best that Xaph Ti Pyn would not remember the twisted woman who had raised her. The loss of those that were closest to you, the betrayal by those that should have treated you like family, those were hard things to overcome. A fact that Konatsu knew better than most.
Still, things to worry about at another time. It was time to get ready to send her invitation to the young lady, and make sure that she attended tea. There was not much she could do for Nabiki and Qiang Pu, but this little task was in her power to accomplish. The true challenge would once more fall on the narrow, fragile shoulders of their little warrior. Konatsu just hoped that she had the resolve to carry the task to its end.
Konatsu gathered the last of the items she would need, and made her way to where her car was waiting for her. Amaya, of course, was the one driving. The tiny black Geisha looked over her shoulder at Konatsu and smiled one of her rare smiles. "Shall this One take you to get our guest, Mother?" Amaya asked.
"This One would be most grateful if you would happen to be traveling towards where she wishes to go." Konatsu said as she covered her mouth with her fan.
"Of course, Mother. This One will make sure that you, and your guest, arrive where you need to be safely." Amaya said, before she started to drive. Konatsu had a bit of time to reflect on the events that had led to this moment, and what she should tell Qiang Pu about what Hina wanted to do. She just hoped that once all of this was taken care of, that Qiang Pu would find it in her heart to forgive herself for all of this. Konatsu knew that Qiang Pu blamed herself, and knew how much it weighed on her. The actions she had taken recently spoke volumes on the state of the young Joketsuzoku's mind. Thus, Konatsu would see this to the end, so that she could help lighten the load on those that she cared for. It was what a Mother was supposed to do, after all.
Konatsu was pulled from her thoughts when the car came to a gentle stop. She looked up and met the eyes of Amaya, who nodded at her. "This is as close as this One can drive, Mother. Is it sufficient?" Amaya asked.
Konatsu nodded as she slipped silently from the car. "This One thanks you, Amaya, dear. This One will return shortly with our guest, and would find it most convenient if you happened to be ready when that would happen."
"Of course, Mother. This One will be happy to help with our guest, if that is your wish?" Amaya asked, only to realize she had been speaking to air. Mother Konatsu always lived up to her reputation as the greatest living kunichi of her generation, a fact that many had forgotten when confronted with the image of Mother Konatsu. Amaya smiled and relaxed back into the shadows of her seat, once again glad for her small stature. It just felt right, being like this. Another thing to be grateful to Mother and Ranma-sama for.
Konatsu made her way towards the warehouse that young Xaph Ti had chosen as her bolthole. It was a good choice, all in all. Without the assistance of Gosunkugi, it would have taken Konatsu considerably more time to find her guest. And since time was a limited commodity, it was well worth the risks of employing the information broker. Now, how fast he had sent the information? That meant that he had known all along, and predicted exactly what Konatsu would need. The sign of a good businessman, in the end. As shady as he was, he was responsible and loyal to a fault. He would watch over Yaayaa, not for her sake, but for the sake of Lady Hina. Those were motivations that Konatsu could appreciate and approve of, and use without reservation.
For now, though she had other matters to deal with. Namely, the young lady that had chosen an abandoned warehouse on the edge of several groups territory as her bolt hole. Already, Konatsu had by passed a few alarms that had been placed in the alleys around the area. A good idea, if you didn"t mind advertising that you were nearby. Honestly, for as much as she knew, there were many things that seemed to have been left out of her education.
Konatsu continued to make her silent, graceful way towards the building as she remained serenely watchful of her surroundings. The skills that she had learned at the insistence of her step mother and sisters had been polished over the years, partially with the assistance of Ranma. There was little chance that this upstart would prove overly challenging, but one must never succumb to overconfidence. Another lesson that she had learned the hard way from Ranma, both from observing him and learning from him directly.
Konatsu smiled as she looked over the building closer, while she carefully avoided the security that her young guest had set. She had talent, but she tended to overthink things, it would seem. Simpler was better, in the end. After all, you only had to look at the plan she had hatched to see how she overthought things, and thus got lost in the details. The best plans were the simple ones, because they were more resilient to chance and odd choices. Elaborate schemes were best left in books and movies, where all decisions were already made. Konatsu nodded to herself as she disabled a trap on one of the doors and picked the lock with one of her hair pins. In moments, she was inside of the building and making her way towards where she was certain her young guest waited..
She could hear the young lady's frustrated voice from ahead, and then a crash as something was thrown against the wall in rage. It would seem that Xaph Ti had finally figured out that things were not going to go as she had planned, or perhaps how her mother had planned. Konatsu could understand her frustration, she had felt much the same when she had met Ranma all those years ago, when she was still locked in the cage her step mother and sisters had set, and that she had obediently climbed into. Maybe Qiang Pu was correct in the choice she had made, and this should be seen not as punishment, but a chance at a new start. At redemption at the cost of the flawed and misguided person she had been forced to become because of her mother and her twisted ambitions.
Konatsu eyed the young lady, who was staring down at the shattered remnants of a satellite phone, and set a sad smile on her face. "This One is sorry that you were not able to reach the woman who raised you, child. This One would guess that she is probably busy entertaining a guest of her own." Konatsu said as she stepped out, and snapped her fan open and used it to cover her mouth as was polite. The fact that it deflected the dagger that had been thrown her way was surely a coincidence.
"What are you doing here!" Xaph Ti yelled as she threw another dagger at her uninvited visitor. Her frustration only grew as the geisha bowed at the exact right moment, then stepped to the side as she rose once more, and avoided another object launched her way.
"This One is here to invite you to tea, child." Konatsu said as she took a graceful step forward and to the side, as she once again deftly avoided a knife cast in her direction.
"Tea? TEA! What stupid insanity are you preaching on about now!" Xaph Ti Pyn said as she dived for another set of weapons.
Konatsu just smiled serenely as she stepped closer, each movement seemed slow and graceful, but only seemed to frustrate the young girl more and more. "This One is here to invite you to tea with your sister, of course." Konatsu said like it was the most obvious thing in the world as Xaph Ti pulled a pair of long combat knives from their sheaths on the table.
"And what would ever make you think that I would accept that!" Xaph Ti said as she launched into a fast and fluid assault, each cut made with speed and precision, as she followed the training she had received her entire life.
Konatsu paused for a moment, as her fan snapped open and blocked an attack. She looked into the eyes of the young girl and smiled in a serene manner. "This One never said that you could refuse, child."
Xaph Ti screamed in anger as she attempted to redouble her efforts, but Konatsu always seemed to be just out of reach, or happened to just move at the right moment to slip past an attack, or block it in what seemed a complete accident as Konatsu seemed to be locked into some sort of traditional dance. Xaph Ti stepped back and opened the distance between them for a moment as she had to admit to herself that her opponent was incredibly talented, for not having seemed to have done anything the entire fight. What that suggested of her opponents skills sent a shudder down the young warriors back as she started to realize just how outclassed she was. She had been told over and over that Tachi, the one armed swordswoman, was the one she had to be most afraid of.
Perhaps her mother's information had not been as complete as she had thought.
Damn that Gosunkugi. He had obviously double dealt with her.
"You are not going to take me! I'd rather die here and now than be captured!" Xaph Ti screamed in rage as she closed on Konatsu again, but balked at the last moment as Konatsu seemed to appear right in front of her, well within her guard.
"That would have been the easy option, yes. But this One always attempts to meet the demands of her guests, no matter what they are. That is simply how things are done at the Teahouse." Konatsu said sweetly as she delicately took hold of Xaph Ti's hand for a second in that moment of stunned disbelief that flashed across the young girl's face. When Konatsu stepped back, she flicked the knife she had taken from Xaph Ti over her shoulder, where it landed point down into the table behind her.
Xaph Ti screamed in rage as her hand darted into one of the pouches around her waist, and then flung a handful of the white powder within towards Konatsu. She had already started to lunge, as she planned on taking the momentary opening when Konatsu attempted to cover her face to close the distance and land what she was sure would be a decisive blow.
What she hadn't counted on was when Konatsu made no move to block the powder from striking her in the face. Instead, one moment she had stared into the strange geisha's eyes, then the next Konatsu stepped and rolled her body under the arc of the powder in a move that seemed effortless, but was fast enough that if you had blinked it would have seemed that she had teleported from one place to the other.
Xaph Ti Pyn had barely enough time to gasp in shock before she felt a blow land in her solar plexus that made her stagger back bereft of breath. She started to raise her other hand to bring the knife that should have been there into a guard position, but she stared at her empty hand for a moment in befuddled surprise as she tried to gather enough breath to keep fighting.
"This One wishes that you would have just accepted the invitation to tea without fuss. Now, this One will have to ask more incistantly." Konatsu said, before she seemed to appear once more in front of Xaph Ti. There was a flurry of hand movements, most of which Xaph Ti could barely keep track of as her hurried guard was taken apart before Konatsu stepped past her and she felt a precise blow on the back of her neck.
Konatsu caught the girl as she collapsed, and then held her while she snapped open her phone to make a call. "Amaya? This One would appreciate it if you would happen to bring the car to the front door. Yes, this One will be bringing a guest with us. Perhaps it is best if you would make the arrangements for her guest room, yes. Thank you, Amaya. Yes, this One will be waiting by the door." Konatsu said then closed the phone and slipped it back into its place within her kimono as she looked down at the unconscious form of the young girl in her arms. "This One is truly sorry that you and the others had to be drawn into the mess that the adults made. This One hopes that you find peace at the end of this, little one." She said as she carried Xaph Ti Pyn towards where their ride awaited.
Now, it would be up to Qiang Pu to make good on the promise she had made to try and limit the amount of blood that had to be spilled.