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 20: Lost and Found.
Akane and Ukyo walked hand in hand with a sleepy Kaya in the backpack carrier on Akane's back. The pair looked up at the gates to the Teahouse and took in the traditional architecture of the compound. Even among the other geisha houses of this district, the Teahouse dwarfed them all.
The reason for their visit was to pick up their nephew Chiko. Nabiki had called last night to see if they could watch him for a few days while she attended to matters that could not be delayed. She had not been very forthcoming with details, and to be honest neither of them had pressed too hard either.
They looked at each other again, and Ukyo slipped her hand into Akane's and they entered. Almost immediately they were greeted by Qiang Pu's friend, Rei. She smiled at them warmly and bowed deeply to them, and after they had returned the bow she stood and smiled again.
"This One welcomes the most esteemed House of Tendo to our humble establishment. This One has been asked to take you to the personage of the most esteemed Nabiki Tendo. If you would please follow this One?" Rei asked politely.
Ukyo smiled as the pair fell in behind the young Maiko. "You do know we consider you family, sugar. You don't always have to be so formal with us." Ukyo sai9d fondly, well used to this treatment but still feeling it necessary to at least make the attempt.
"This One is most sorry if the manner of address offends our most esteemed guests, but One never knows who may be listening, and this One would not want to offend the sensibilities of one of the full members of the House." Rei said softly, as she glanced back at them and winked slightly.
Akane chuckled and looked at Rei. "Is the most esteemed Scarred Lilly in attendance today, and would we be able to see her?"
Rei glanced back and looked at Kaya. "She is, would you like this One to inform her that she has a special guest?"
"We would. Want to see something amusing?" Akane said with a grin, and at the curious look Rei gave her Akane grinned again. "We would love to see Tachi."
Kaya perked up immediately as her eyes flew open, her head came up and she looked around. "Auntie Tachi!"
Her mothers laughed, then Ukyo looked at her daughter and smiled as she said. "We will see if you can play with Auntie Tachie, okay pumpkin?"
Kaya pouted for a moment, then grinned. "'Kay!"
Ukyo smiled. "That's our good girl."
Kaya grinned and nodded as the little girl basked in her mother's praise.
Rei laughed, then quickly looked around as she forced her face back into that impassively polite look.
The couple shared an amused look before they continued on, with Akane pointing out pretty or colorful things for their daughter to look at while they ventured into the private part of the Teahouse.
Once they entered the private section, the greetings from the various residents became more frequent and at times they had several geishas following along briefly to lavish attention on one of their favorite little guests. They were met at the intersection of two corridors by the severe looking face of Tachi, which caused Kaya to begin bouncing in her backpack.
"Auntie Tachi!" The little girl squealed happily as Tachi stepped up and smiled as Ukyo lifted the little girl out and settled her in the care of the Scarred Lily, who settled Kaya on her hip. Tachi bowed before she walked off while Kaya giggled happily at her favorite aunt..
Akane and Ukyo bowed, then followed behind Rei as they headed for the suite that Nabiki and Qiang Pu had been given. Rei rapped gently on the door then at the soft "Come in" from inside slid open the door and bowed the couple in. Rei closed the door, then assumed her position outside in the hall.
When the pair walked in, they found Nabiki sitting on the couch with Qiang Pu's head resting in her lap as the young girl slept. Chiko was playing quietly in his car seat, and the blue-eyed, dark haired little boy babbled happily as he saw his aunt's.
Nabiki smiled as she combed her fingers gently through the sleeping girl's hair. "She wore herself out. She has a rough couple of days ahead of her, so I figured I'd let her sleep as much as possible." Nabiki said softly.
Akane nodded as Ukyo knelt down next to Chiko. "Are you going to be okay, sis?" Akane asked softly.
Nabiki nodded and smiled softly. "I'll be fine. Thank you two for watching Chiko for me."
Ukyo smiled as she looked up, her finger in Chiko's small hand. "Sugar, we are family. It's what we do for each other."
Nabiki smiled as she looked down at Qiang Pu. "I wish Ranma was here. I'm sure he would never have let it come to all of this."
Akane shook her head. "Who would have expected any of this? Evil, baby stealing Amazon's plotting out a nefarious plan that would take over a decade to enact for some goal that we still don't know the full extent of? Even Ranma isn't that paranoid to have seen this coming. Plus, he trusts you to take care of things here while he is gone. Have some faith in your husband, sister dear. He knows you better than anyone else, and that includes you. Trust me on this. Believe in your better half's judgement. If I can learn to do it, anyone can."
Nabiki grinned and nodded. "Thank you, little sis."
"Anytime, Nabiki. Anytime." Akane answered.
Ukyo looked over at the pair of sisters and smiled. As much as Nabiki thought that Akane and her were doing them a favor, as far as both her and her wife were concerned, they were just working on paying back the debts that they owed the pair. Without Ranma, they would have never met nor would they have Kaya as their daughter. Nabiki had helped the pair of them in so many ways, as well. She had suggested that they go to Ameruca to get married in one of the states that allowed same sex marriages, and had arranged for Ranma and herself to be the godparents, with legal guadianship if anything were to ever happen to them. Yes, as far as they were concerned, they had barely even begun to pay back the debt that they owed Nabiki and Ranma. Plus, Chiko was a dear child and they loved taking care of their nephew anytime that they were asked to.
It was what friends and family did after all.
Nabiki sighed and smiled at the pair. "Thank you both again. I've gotten everything I can arranged now. Konatsu has been a life saver, literally, in all of this. None of this would be possible without her and the Teahouse. I know, I know. It's what friends and family do. Still, I will have to figure out some way to pay you all back."
Akane looked at Ukyo, who pinked at the look her wife had given her. Akane grinned and looked back at Nabiki. "One long weekend of niece sitting. That will be payment enough. Maybe also if you can wave your fingers and get us into that hot spring resort that we went to on our honeymoon."
Nabiki chuckled softly and nodded as she continued to gently stroke the hair of the sleeping girl. "Done. I will even pay for it. No arguments, Akane. Consider it a gift to two of my favorite family members."
The pair smiled and bowed as they collected Chiko and his bag then left without waking the young girl. It was a bit later that she slowly stirred and looked around bleary eyed.
"Qiang Pu fell asleep?" Qiang Pu said sleepily.
Nabiki nodded as she kept gently stroking the young girl's hair. "I thought that you needed some rest. Akane and Ukyo have already been here and left, if they can steal their daughter back from Tachi, at least."
Qiang Pu giggled and nodded. "As scary as Tachi is, how Kaya can wrap her around her little finger is even scarier."
Nabiki laughed and nodded. "She has all of them wrapped around her little finger. I swear, that girl is going to be something else when she gets older."
Qiang Pu nodded, and her eyes turned to the clock and Nabiki felt her stiffen. Nabiki sighed and leaned down to lay a gentle kiss on the young girl's forehead. "I know. It's almost time."
Qiang Pu nodded and bit her lip as she looked at Nabiki with a pleading look in her eyes.
Nabiki smiled sadly as she continued to gently stroke the hair of the young girl. "It will be okay, dearheart. It's not going to be easy, but it will be okay. You just have to believe it."
Qiang Pu nodded and mustered a smile for Nabiki, who smiled back at the young girl. After a few more minutes, Nabiki gently nudged the young girl.
"Are you hungry, dear? You need to eat something if you can." Nabiki said gently.
Qiang Pu opened her mouth to object, when but her stomach spoke first. As the young warrior blushed, she nodded. "Yes, I would like something to eat, Elder Nabiki."
Nabiki nodded as she helped Qiang Pu get up. "You do know you don't have to call me Elder."
Qiang Pu shook her head. "You earned it. It's a sign of respect to someone that has taught me well, and guided me in times of trouble." Qiang Pu said as she bowed deeply to Nabiki.
Nabiki smiled and started to walk towards the door when Rei knocked on the door and then stepped in carrying a tray for breakfast. "This One thought that our most honored guests would like a light breakfast before they started their day?" She said as she laid out the meal for the two, then bowed and left before the two could do much more than bow and offer their thanks to the young geisha in training.
"It;s hard to believe that Rei is the same age as you are, dear. She seems to be taking to her training well, and carries herself like someone much older, when she is on duty at least." Nabiki smiled and looked at the girl she considered her own. "While you stay here, I hope that you can make even more friends."
Qiang Pu nodded with a troubled look in her eyes. "I have made friends… Some of them were hurt because of me, though…"
Nabiki winced and laid a comforting hand on the shoulder of Qiang Pu. "I'm sorry, dear one."
Qiang Pu forced a smile on her face and started to eat, as Nabiki watched her for a minute, then sighed and started to eat as well. She knew it would be a very long day, and that it would probably take time for Qiang Pu to heal from all that had happened. She just hoped that they had the time to watch over her while she did.
Qiang Pu started to get herself ready after breakfast, as she changed into a chinese pantsuit similar to the one that she had arrived in several months ago. She double checked the tools she would need, sheers, scissors, combs and brushes. Next was a final check of the formula 110 shampoo. Once that was done, she looked at Nabiki with a slightly pale face and nodded once.
Nabiki gave Qiang Pu a weak smile and walked over to look out the door. As she had expected, one of the Lilies of the Teahouse was there. Michi bowed to her as the two exchanged a look.
"If our most esteemed guests are ready, then this One shall take you to the room that has been prepared as Qiang Pu specified." Michi said with a bow.
Qiang Pu set her jaw in a firm look and nodded to Michi as she picked up the basket with her supplies in it. Nabiki followed along silently, as she wished there was something she could do to lift some of this burden off those delicate shoulders.
The adults had failed in their duty, and the children were now left to pay the price.
When the trio entered the room, the first thing that was noticeable was the single chair sitting on a large white sheet in the middle of the room. The windows were open, allowing the morning light to spill in and illuminate the strange tableau. Sitting at the end of the room opposite the one visible door was Konatsu and the representative of the Great Families, Kyo Tanaka. Without his acceptance of this punishment, then it would be a true, final death that faced Xaph Ti Pyn instead of the death of the self that she had instead been condemned to.
As Michi bowed and stepped into the shadows by the door, Qiang Pu and Nabiki approached and knelt down, then bowed their heads to the floor before the Tanka. Then Nabiki spoke in a voice that didn't reflect the turmoil and pain in her heart.
"We thank you, Tanaka, for your leniency in this. We thank you for your mercy, and shall see that the punishment is carried out as promised." Nabiki said in a steady, clear voice then the pair rose and bowed once more before they stepped to stand at one side of the sheet. After a moment, the doors opened once more and Amaya and Tachi entered with a bound Xaph Ti Pyn between them. The young girl glared at those present, and cast an angry, accusing look at Qiang Pu.
"Did you come to see them kill me, sister dear? I hope you enjoy the bloody spectacle. You are a fool, just like those backward idiots in the village!" Xaph Ti Pyn spat out as she glared at Qiang Pu with pure malice and hate in her eyes.
Qiang Pu gave her sister a sad look. "I thought you were my friend. My companion. Someone that I could trust and look up to. Someone who understood who I thought I was meant to be."
"Yes. A fool. A backwards, stupid nothing from a backwards, stupid nothing village that we are going to save from themselves! My mother will return them to glory! To being feared and respected once more! And trash like you and your mother will be forgotten, cast onto the trash heap!" Xaph Ti Pyn said as her voice rose in scale and octave, her eyes feral and wild.
Qiang Pu gave her sister one more sad, hurt look then looked at Tachi and Amaya. "Put her in the chair and hold her there until I say otherwise."
Xaph Ti Pyn tried to struggle, but between the Scarred Lilly and the surprisingly strong Amaya she was quickly placed and held in the chair. Qiang Pu pulled out the comb and brush and placed them on the table near at hand before she stepped behind the struggling girl and started what seemed like a thorough scalp massage. Xaph Ti Pyn struggled at first, then slowly her eyes glazed over and she stopped struggling. Qiang Pu nodded to the two Lilies, and they released the placid girl and stepped back.
Qiang Pu bit her lip as she went to work on Xaph Ti Pyn. In a very short time, she had washed, cut, and styled the unresponsive girl's hair into a cute pixie cut, the long tresses of the renegade laying about the two.
The head of the Tanaka family leaned towards Konatsu and said softly. "Am I to believe that this really worked as I was told it would? It… doesn't seem like much." He said as he watched.
Konatsu glanced aside at him then spoke softly. "The Joketsuzoku have many strange and unusual techniques, some of which may or may not work as intended. That said, if you wish to listen to this One's most humble words, her mother has perfected and improved this technique. As far as this One knows, there are at this time only two who can truly use it. Xian Pu, and her daughter Qiang Pu. We shall test her, on that this One promises."
The Tanaka nodded as he watched as Qiang Pu put the last touches on the job and bit her lip as she looked at the still unresponsive girl. "Qiang Pu… I… Took everything. She not remember anything of herself or anyone else. Was only way. She still know how to do things, speak… But little else…" Qiang Pu looked at Nabiki, as she was clearly too upset to actually put things in words like they needed to be.
Nabiki gave Qiang Pu a sad smile and bowed to the Tanaka. "It causes a state similar to amnesia, just… Targeted. It can lock away specific memories, about a person, a place, a time. Or, in this case…. Everything. Xaph Ti Pyn will be able to talk, walk, eat and take care of herself.. She just… Has no memories of who she is, or any of us as well." Nabiki watched Qiang Pu as she leaned in and whispered a few things in the other girl's ear, then stepped back slowly.
"What did she tell her?" Kyo Tanaka asked as he watched them.
"Her name, and who her mother is. Xaph Ti Pyn of the Joketsuzuko, daughter of Xian Pu. She will start to come out of the trance shortly, from what Qiang Pu had told me. When she does, she will only remember what Qiang Pu has let her retain, or told her to remember." Nabiki said as she watched Qiang Pu walk over and grab a towel, and wipe off her hands and her face. "Do you need us to remain here while you question Xaph Ti, or can I take her to another room for a bit?" Nabiki won't beg. She won't plead. Not unless she has to.
The Tanaka nodded. "Take your ward to one of the rooms nearby and let her rest. If she is needed, we will send for her."
Nabiki bowed deeply, and guided her ward from the room. Amaya waited outside to take them to a room nearby where there was a gentle herbal tea waiting for them. After that, all that was left to do was wait and see if the Tanaka would be satisfied. If not, then at least one of them would die that day.