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 19: Origins and endings.
Nabiki watched Qiang Pu as the young girl worked her way through the technique over and over. The fact that the technique involved rinsing, washing, and seeming to style the hair on the hairdresser's dummy that she had bought with her allowance didn't make the intense focus any less amazing to watch. Nabiki had grown up in a family with martial artists, and had married one of the greatest practitioners of the Art alive, but still the focus that Qiang Pu showed would have made her father proud.
"If you didn't know better, you would just think that it was one of the most expert stylings and scalp massages you would ever hope to receive." Nabiki commented when Qiang Pu took a break.
Qiang Pu looked over her shoulder and blinked a bit then smiled. "Honored Elder Tendo would not be wrong. Without the special herbal shampoo, that is all it is, really. The pressure points only invigorate the scalp and relax the mind without the special shampoo. It's my mothers technique, at least it has become hers. She took the old technique, and refined it many times over. I had to substitute some of the ingredients, but I think it should be as effective as my mothers." Qiang Pu said as she flexed her fingers.
"For what it is worth, I think you are doing the right thing, dear." Nabiki said softly as she walked over and sat next to Qiang Pu.
Qiang Pu fretted for a moment, then sighed and looked down. "Qiang Pu… I… Wish I was as sure. I… I am going to have to take everything from her. Every memory of hers… She won't remember anyone, or anything she has ever known. I mean, she will remember how to do things, but not why she know how to do them."
"The alternative was her actual death, instead of a chance to do it all over, and not make the mistakes she had made before. To not be led horribly astray by those that should have protected and guided her." Nabiki said as she gently laid a hand on the slim shoulder of the young girl.
Qiang Pu nodded as she wiped at her eyes before she looked back to the dummy before her. "I want to practice some more." She said before she started to move away from Nabiki, then stopped and turned to give the older woman a tight hug. "Thank you…"
Nabiki smiled down at the young warrior and hugged her back. "You are welcome, dear. It's what family does for each other, right?" She said as she leaned down and kissed the top of the girl in her arms head.
"Yeah… I guess so…" Qiang Pu said with a weak smile before she broke away and went back to her practice.
Nabiki sighed as she left to go take care of her son, and left her daughter to take care of what she had to do. From what she had found out, it would only be a matter of time until Xaph Ti Pyn was brought to stand before her sister, and face the final judgement for what she had done. The final act in this tragic play would be played out. And with what Konatsu had passed along about her findings, and the true tragedy that it spoke of, perhaps in a way this was for the best
At the Tendo dojo…
Akane sighed as she sat and stared out over the koi pond lost in her thoughts. So much had happened lately, it seemed surreal. So much tragedy had befallen the three young girls that they had welcomed into their house in such a short time, it wasn't fair. None of them should have had to shoulder the weight that had been pushed on them. The most aggravating thing was the fact there was little they, any of them, could do about it
Akane was drawn out of her thoughts by a warm hand that rested on hers. She looked up and met the concerned gaze of her wife and smiled sadly. Ukyo smiled back at her and sat down before she leaned against the woman at her side.
"Kaya is finally taking her nap." Ukyo said as she handed Akane one of the cups of tea from the tray she had carried out
"Thank you, dear." Akane said as she took a sip from her cup. "It's just not fair." She said without preamble or context.
"No, it isn't. And they are all such nice girls, too." Ukyo said as she leaned against her wife.
Akane sighed and nodded as she rested her head against her wife's. "How did Xaph Ti Pyn fool all of us?"
"Ahh, I see. You were really fond of her, weren't you, sugar?" Ukyo said as she snaked an arm around her wife's waist.
Akane bit her lip and nodded, then said softly "I am Rather fond of all of them. The niece I had never gotten to meet before, her first friend in Japan… And the young lady that reminded me so much of Ranma when we first met." Akane laughed bitterly. "I guess that makes sense now."
"You do know you can't blame yourself for this, right sugar? If Nabiki couldn't piece it together, no one could." Ukyo said as she hugged her wife tightly to her side
Akane sighed and bowed her head. "I know that… It's just… It's our job, our duty, to protect kids like them from the injustices of the world. From people that want to take advantage of them." Akane reached up and wiped at her eyes. "How can we protect Kaya if we can't do that for them?"
"Awww, sugar… We will do our best. That's all we can do, right? And we will learn to be better. It's the entire purpose of living, isn't it? To learn from our mistakes and to do better. To teach our kids to not make the same mistakes that we did, so they can make entirely new ones." Ukyo said as she kissed her wife's cheek.
"You always know how to cheer me up, dear." Akane said fondly.
"I've gotten a lot of practice over the years, sugar." Ukyo deadpanned then grinned as she got a sheepish grin from Akane. "It's going to be okay, sugar. I know it will be."
"Yeah…. I know you're right. It's just not going to be easy for a while." Akane said as she laid back and looked up at the sky.
"It won't be, but we will all come out of it in more or less one piece. That's what we do, right?" Ukyo said before she curled up and rested her head on Akane's stomach.
Akane just nodded and rested her hand on her wife's head as they relaxed.
It was out of their hands now, after all.
Kasumi smiled as she watched her children play, then glanced over at her husband. Tofu had been reading the response he had gotten from a doctor friend of his who worked at the fertility clinic that had handled Ranma and Xian Pu's procedure, and the scowl on his face told her just how bad the news probably was. Once she had the children sufficiently distracted, she was able to go and sit next to him at the table as he replied back on the laptop.
"Is it that bad, dear?" She asked quietly as she took his free hand in hers.
He nodded, then glanced over at the kids before he answered. "It is. It seems that there was a fire at the facility about thirteen years ago. It destroyed several of their long-term storage banks. Thousands of fertilised eggs and sperm samples were lost. Including the one from Xian Pu and Ranma. They just assumed that it was an accident at the time, but now… I think it's obvious how Rai Zur got Xaph Ti Pyn. The odds are that she is the child of Ranma, but I speculate that Rai Zur is not her biological mother. I would hazard the guess that Rai Zur stole not just the sperm, but the unused fertilised eggs as well." Tofu took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. "I can't let them know at the facility what is going on, but it just means that things are potentially even worse than we thought."
:"How so? I mean, isn't this bad enough already?" Kasumi asked as she gave Tofu a worried look.
"All of the samples were lost. All of the back up eggs. I can't say for certain that there might now be other children out there, one that we, or even Xaph Ti Pyn, don't know about. Honestly, right now, I wouldn't put anything past Rai Zur." Tofu said sadly.
"Oh my…." Kasumi said softly, and gripped her husband's hand tighter. "How do we tell Nabiki and Ranma?"
"That's actually the easy part, I think. We just pass along everything we have found out, and let them work it out for themselves. We will help if we can, but right now? It's in their hands." Tofu said sadly.
Kasumi sighed and nodded as she continued to hold her husband's hand until the children drew her away once more.
Regardless of what happened, Tofu and her would be there for them. It's what family was there for, after all.
Yaayaa had just turned off the television as she laid in her bed. That was, after all, about the extent of what she did anymore. Lay in the bed in the hospital and watch television. Her parents had left for a bit so that they could eat, and honestly, she was glad they were gone. It had been good to have them there at first, but now… The constant looks of pity were getting to her.
She had just closed her eyes when there was a quiet knock on the door to her room. Yaayaa looked at the clock, but it was too soon for her parents to have come back, and they never knocked anyhow. It shouldn't be the nurse, either… And it wasn't visiting hours, so it couldn't be Qiang Pu. She wanted to see her friend badly, but she knew how much Qiang blamed herself for what had happened.
And, if she wanted to be honest with herself, she sort of blamed Qiang Pu as well. Not so much for getting her caught up in all of this. That was on those who were directly involved. No, she was mostly angry about how Qiang Pu had avoided her to go do… Whatever it was that she had done. Yaayaa knew she was just a kid, she was twelve, after all. But still, it hurt to not be included, to not be made part of her friends' world. So, maybe it was best that they hadn't seen each other much.
She would have felt worse if she had actually yelled at Qiang Pu. Even if she was being a big dummy at the moment.
Still, that brought her to the present, and the mystery of the person who had knocked at her door. Yaayaa took a breath, put a smile on her face, and called out. "Come in!" In the brightest voice she could just, even if it was fake.
Of all the things she had expected, a doctor or nurse or maybe a family member or even one of her few friends, what she didn't expect was who walked in silently. A geisha in full formal kimono and wearing geta. Her hair was done in the complex, traditional manner. It honestly looked like she had stepped straight out of one of the history books she had read. Yaayaa blinked, and wondered for a moment if she had some kind of strange reaction to the pain killers she had been put on.
"Umm… Hello?" Yaayaa ventured hesitantly.
The geisha bowed fluidly, and Yaayaa noticed that she even had the traditional hair ornaments. "This One thanks you for your kind greeting, Lady Fujimaki. This One is known as Michi, and she comes bearing a message from the Mother of her House, Mother Konatsu. May this most humble One be allowed to approach and offer it to you?" The Geisha named Michi asked politely.
Yaayaa nodded slowly, and smiled nervously. In all her twelve years of life, she had never had an encounter this formal, not even at her grandfather's funeral. "Yes, please. I'm sorry I can't show you the proper courtesy, but…" Yaayaa trailed off with a sad tone in her voice.
"You do not need to worry, Lady Fujimaki. This One is aware of your condition, and wished that there was something that this One could do to properly show her sorrow for what has happened to you. This One has heard much of you from Lady Pu, and wishes you the best, and a quick recovery." Michi said softly as she approached, and offered a note that was written on fire parchment in an elegant, flowing style of kanji.
Yaayaa read it, and blinked at the geisha uncertainly. "Is.. Is this for real?" She asked nervously.
"It is indeed, Lady Fujimaki." Michi answered.
Yaayaa looked back at the note, and read it once more to make sure she had read it correctly.
'Dear Lady Fujimaki,
This One hopes that this letter finds you as well as can be expected, considering the extent and nature of your injuries.
This One writes to you on behalf of another, who wishes to speak to you regarding an offer that, while it has its risks and challenges, and comes at no small price, would offer you an unique opportunity.
She wishes to speak to you about this, with only myself present. This offer is for your esteemed personage alone.
If you accept this meeting, we will visit you in three days, so that you can hear her proposal yourself, and decide if you would want to accept it.
If you agree to this meeting, then our House shall see to your parents while we discuss matters that lie solely between you two.
Also, this One would ask that you don't speak of this to anyone.
Konatsu.'
Yaayaa blinked and looked at the serenely smiling face of the geisha, and weighed what she had read as carefully as she could. She had heard a little about Konatsu and the others who lived and worked there from Qiang Pu, and the fact that she trusted them made her want to trust them, as well.
Her mind made up, she looked at the waiting geisha. "Please tell her that I accept her offer, and will listen to the request. Thank you.." Yaayaa said as she smiled shyly.
Michi bowed deeply and smiled a gentle smile. "This One thanks you, Lady Fujimaki. Rest well, and know that the Teahouse shall see to everything from this point onward ". After saying that cryptic line, she bowed and walked silently from the room.
A short time later her parents returned to check in on her. Her mother had a happy, if perplexed look on her face that prompted Yaayaa to ask a question.
"Is something wrong, mom?" Yaayaa asked.
Her mom blinked and shook her head. "Nothing wrong, dear. We were just informed that a benefactor has taken your hospital bill." She replied, then sat down and took her daughter's hand in hers
Yaayaa now understood just what she had meant.
Later that night, Nabiki knocked on the door to the room where Qiang Pu had been practicing, and had finished her newest batch of the special herbal potion. "Qiang Pu, dear? Are you awake?"
Qiang Pu yawned and stretched, then stood and opened the door. "Sorry, Honored Elder. I didn't mean to fall asleep. What did you need of me?" Qiang Pu said as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
Nabiki smiled and hugged the young Amazon. "It's okay, dear. I checked on you earlier and you looked like you had fallen asleep, so I decided to let you rest. Now… The reason I woke you up is that Konatsu has returned, and she brought Xaph Ti Pyn with her… Did you want to see her tonight?"
Qiang Pu stilled as her eyes darted about for a moment, then her shoulders dropped. "No…. If I see her now… Before I erase her memories tomorrow… Qiang Pu doesn't know if she can do it." Qiang Pu said softly without being able to look at Nabiki.
"It's okay, dear. I know how hard this has to be for you… Are you hungry? We can get you something to eat, then you can rest some more. I have a room here for China and I, and there is a futon for you there already." Nabiki said gently.
Qiang Pu hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, Elder Nabiki. Qiang Pu… I… would like that."
Nabiki smiled gently and offered her hand to the young warrior, who hesitated for only a moment before she took hold of the offered hand and let Nabiki lead her along after she cast one last look at the room. Once they started to walk, she didn't look back as she tried to steel herself against what she would do the next day.