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 28.
A dark and foreboding future.
Mother Konatsu looked up from the papers she had been looking over at the quiet, discreet knock on the frame of her door before she spoke. "Come in, Amaya."
Amaya slid open the door from where she had knelt, stepped in lightly before she knelt once more to close it and turned to press her forehead to the tatami before she greeted Konatsu. "This One is thankful that there could be found time to speak to her."
"What brings you to this One's door at this hour?" Konatsu said as she carefully placed her papers down.
Amaya lifted her head with a cautious look on her face, unsure for a moment about the wisdom of her plan before she steeled her resolve and pushed ahead. She had made up her mind earlier as she sat with her young ward, and backing out now would be a disservice to both of them.
"Mother, this One would make a request." Amaya said, then bit her lip. "Perhaps a few requests…"
Konatsu smiled as she poured tea for her unusually nervous companion. "And what would this one or more request happen to be?"
Amaya turned the cup once, then twice before she took a sip and looked at Konatsu. "Mother, this One would like permission to see to Xaph Ti Pyn's training."
Konatsu raised a delicate eyebrow and took a sip from her tea before she answered. "This One thinks that more is meant than just working on the social skills that are being imparted to her."
Amaya licked her lips and nodded. 'This One would like to take care of her more physical training. She needs to know how to handle herself, how to defend herself again. Without tapping into the twisted, violent version that Rai Zur taught her. I… This One can see to that, so that she won't be led astray again."
Konatsu regarded the nervous African-American Geisha for a long moment before she took another sip of her tea. "And what would she be taught? What can be safely taught without it possibly bringing back the skills that still lurk inside of her?"
Amaya took a breath and met Konatsu's eyes. "Aikido. She can be taught a passive art, one that suits her much better." Amaya pressed her forehead to the tatami again. "Please let this One teach her."
Konatsu regarded Amaya for a long moment, then asked the other question that she was sure that she already knew the answer to. "And what would the other request be, Amaya?"
Amaya hesitated, then slowly lifted her head. "That this One be allowed to accompany Xaph Ti Pyn back to China, to make sure that she is safe there."
Konatsu arched an eyebrow. "And what would make one think that Xaph Ti Pyn would return to China? Perhaps it is best if she never again leaves the walls of the House."
"Koda is being sent to China to establish a new House. It is actually safer to have Xaph Ti Pyn there, than here. And she can be returned to the village when and if it becomes necessary. Even though this One fears for her if she ever would be returned." Amaya said.
Konatsu nodded and refilled both of their cups. "Your sources and intuition are as good as ever. Yes, Koda will be placed in charge of a new House, if everything is resolved in a manner that makes it even possible. And yes… Xaph Ti Pyn would be transferred there, if it seemed prudent to do so." Konatsu took a sip of her tea and regarded the other Geisha. "One year." Was all she said.
Amaya looked up with a slightly puzzled look on her face. "One year, Mother?"
Konatsu nodded as she gently nudged Amaya's tea. "You may accompany her for one year. After that, you will be needed here once more." Konatsu smiled at the rare, unguarded smile that flickered across the other Geisha's face. "Now, shall we discuss the details, then?"
"Yes, Mother. Thank you, Mother." Amaya said as she dipped in a bow once more, before she sat up to begin to discuss her plans in detail with Konatsu.
The two women discussed the details well into the night. They started with the most immediate topics, how to start the young lady on her training and what precautions would be needed. Then, the topic of her daily routines were brought up, and they came to a conclusion that the smartest and most efficient path forward would be to have Xaph Ti Pyn moved to Amaya's suite for the foreseeable future.
Once that had been settled, the conversation moved to China, and some of the plans that Mother Konatsu had already laid the groundwork for. This was where Amaya's previous life came in handy. She still had a network of contacts and connections throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia that she had maintained through messages. There were even a few that had met 'his little sister' as Amaya had passed herself off as to a few of them.
When Amaya finally made her way back to her suite, she was hardly surprised to see the sleepy young girl who waited for her within. Amaya smiled softly as Xaph Ti Pyn bowed to her.
"Welcome home, Elder. I had one of the other geisha in training help me lay out the futons… I hope it was done well enough?" Xaph Ti Pyn said nervously.
Amaya stepped past the young girl and looked over both before she turned and smiled at her new ward. "This One finds herself to be quite satisfied, little one. She hopes that being moved suddenly like this has not been too strenuous a burden on you?"
Xaph Ti Pyn blinked sleepily as she cocked her head to the side curiously. "Suddenly, Elder? Elder Michi and her apprentice arrived shortly after supper to move me here. I was told to wait here for you, Elder."
Amaya sighed inwardly at that simple statement. It meant that Konatsu had not only anticipated her request, but had taken care of it shortly after Amaya had last seen Xaph Ti Pyn.
As usual, Mother had been a step or two ahead of everyone else. Konatsu had made her preparations before Amaya had even arrived at her door. Of course, what else would you expect from the Mother of the Teahouse?
Once Amaya had made herself ready for bed, she looked at her drowsy ward and smiled. "Make sure you get as much sleep can, Xaph Ti Pyn. Tomorrow this One shall start to teach you things you will need to know."
Xaph Ti Pyn yawned and nodded before she laid down like the quiet, obedient girl she was before she glanced at Amaya. "You will be teaching me more things, Elder? I'd like that…" The young girl said before she slipped into a quiet, restful sleep.
"I think that I am going to like that as well, little one." Amaya said softly before she let herself slip into the quiet of her dreams.
Yaayaa was propped up as much as was safe with the familiar doll resting in her lap with her arms looped gently around it as the very nice doctor that had introduced himself as Doctor Tofu explained what they hoped to achieve to her parents. The woman at his side seemed to radiate an almost palpable sense of calm and serenity that drained the tension and worry out of the room. It was Yaayaa's first time meeting Kasumi Tofu, but she would never forget the gentle woman. Hina had managed to convince Gosunkugi that it would be best if he wasn't present, somehow. Yaayaa had not heard much of the conversation, but what she had really did make her wonder once again about the relationship that Hina and him shared. Yaayaa could not help but feel that in some ways Hina, for all her impulsiveness and sometimes reckless actions, was the parent in their dynamic.
She guessed when you considered how long Hina had existed, then that made more than a little sense.
Yaayaa had wanted to explain the situation to Qiang Pu, but she hadn't ever really pushed for it. The pain between them seemed far too fresh, far too real right now. The fact that Qiang Pu never came to visit certainly didn't help when she went looking for reasons not to do it.
Doctor Tofu had assured her that in time Qiang Pu and her would certainly be able to see each other again, that they would have a chance to rebuild the relationship that had been torn apart by the events that had happened.
Yaayaa even believed him sometimes.
But for now she sat with Hina in her arms and listened as the calm and knowledgeable doctor and his serene and soothing wife convinced her parents to try an experimental procedure at a private facility.
With the understanding that they would not be able to accompany her for the treatment. They would be able to visit, but only when the facility would allow it. Most of their contact with Yaayaa would be by phone and text.
She would be gone for a minimum of six months for treatment. A process that involves far too many big words and Doctor Tofu adjusting his glasses many times. The oddest thing though, if you were to have asked Yaayaa who knew it was not real, was just how believable it all sounded.
When her parents hesitated, Hina gently nudged Yaayaa's arm and the young girl took the hint as she cleared her throat a little and hugged Hina a little tighter. She just had to do as she had practiced with Hina. It would be okay.
"Mom? Dad? I… I want to try. Please… If it might help me… Please…" Yaayaa said as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her parents looked at each other before her father addressed Doctor Tofu again. "Why can't we accompany her? Or at least visit the facility when we want?" Her father asked.
"At this time we can't. The procedure is still in its very early trials, and we have to maintain absolute control of every factor. We assure you that as soon as it is possible, we will make sure that you are given as much access as possible. Your daughter is a good candidate for the procedure, and we would hate to have to look for another one. But, if that is the case then that is what we will have to do." Doctor Tofu said sadly.
Yaayaa's mother looked at her husband, then took a breath before she faced Doctor Tofu directly. "And you are sure that this procedure can restore our daughter's ability to walk?"
"It's honestly the only real chance she has." Doctor Tofu replied bluntly.
The father and mother exchanged another look before the mother spoke up again. "And you are sure that this is safe? That there is almost no chance that our little girl will die from this?"
Kasumi smiled softly and took the worried mother's hands in her own. "From all the research that we have done, the worst result should be that her condition won't improve. We have always taken the lives of our patients into consideration, first and foremost." Kasumi said with a gentle smile.
The two parents looked at each other before the father sighed and nodded and the mother gave Kasumi's hand another squeeze. "Please… Please help our daughter if you can." She said before they both bowed deeply to the Tofu's.
Kasumi smiled that warm, comforting smile of hers before she bowed in return. "We will do everything that we can to help your daughter, I promise."
The Tofu's left shortly after that once they had made the final series of arrangements, and Yaayaa and her parents had a bit of time to spend together before they would have to leave for the night.
Hina stayed firmly in the arms of the younger girl well after she fell asleep as Hina pondered the full implications of all that had transpired that day. Hina shifted a little and smiled as Yaayaa tightened her grasp in her sleep so that Hina could gently stroke the hair of the young girl.
This is where things would get challenging, the ancient spirit knew all too well.
Nabiki sat with Akane and Ukyo in the room that she had been lent in the Teahouse. Michi and young Rei had just left, and Nabiki sported a new set of bandages under her yukata. She was not healing nearly as quickly as Tachi or Qiang Pu, but they all considered that fairly normal in an older woman who had not had quite the extensive training that the others had. She had found some sort of comfort in knowing that Koda was in the same boat as her, at least.
Qiang Pu had been practically dragged off by Rei to go do something, the exact details had been glossed over but Nabiki imagined it had something to do with tending to the wounded spirit of the young Amazon. She found herself glad once again for Rei and the others at the Teahouse, since she had found that there was little that she could do to help mend the injured spirit of the daughter of Ranma that she had come so close to in such a short time. She still didn't feel quite comfortable around Xaph Ti Pyn, but she had decided to really work at it. She had to agree with Amaya's analysis of the amnesiatic girl. The person she had become was night and day from the violent, vindictive person she had been before.
It really made you wonder who truly was the real one, the girl they saw now or the one that had been raised and trained by the renegade Rai Zur.
It also posed a thought that Nabiki had shied away from, out of worry about what the answer might be.
Just how many other unknown daughters or sons might be out there, waiting to be found.
For now, all that Nabiki could do was settle in with her sisters and try to find what center she could. She had to remain strong, so that Qiang Pu had someone that she could find shelter with, an older female member of her extended family that she could look up to when she needed it. Nabiki found herself pulled from her thoughts as the other two women present talked about their day to day lives when the satellite phone that she had been left rang. She looked at the screen, hoping to see a familiar number, but the one that she saw was not the one that she had hoped to see.
Nabiki raised her hand as the other two went silent and she answered the phone. She was greeted with the rough voice of the man called Douglas who had arranged for her husband to be taken to China, and would hopefully be the one to bring him back home to his family. At the look on Nabiki's face, Akane gently shifted Chiko from her lap to Ukyo's as Nabiki lifted her hand to her mouth, a look of shock on her face as the American expatriate spoke softly to her for some time.
Nabiki looked at Akane as her younger sister settled in next to her and offered her what comfort that she could, not being privy to the soft, tense conversation that was being carried out next to her. The few words that slipped from Nabiki's lips did not do much to ease the worry that grew in Akane's breast as the middle Tendo sister paled and grew more distraught.
"Is he okay?" "You… Can't be serious? They are gone, that is what Ranma said?" "What… Do you mean that he will need his other wardrobe for the foreseeable future?" "What… What are we going to tell Qiang Pu?" "Yes… Yes, let him know as soon as you can that I will take care of everything on this end as best as I can." "Thank you, Douglas. Just… Make sure that Ranma makes it home, that is all that matters to me." Nabiki had said with pauses to listen to Douglas's answers, before she slowly put the phone down with shaking hands and settled into the comfort of her younger sister's embrace.
Ukyo looked at the two sisters and continued to gently hold and sooth Chiko to keep him asleep for a bit longer. "Sugar? What happened? Are you okay? And… Is Ranma coming back to us?" She said with a worried tone to her voice.
"He… He is coming back, it will be just… Just a bit longer, while he takes care of a few more things there. I just… I just don't know what we will tell Qiang Pu…" Nabiki said as hot tears rolled down her cheeks.
Akane stroked her sister's hair gently and held her close. "Tell us what happened, and we will help in any way that we can, Nabiki. You don't have to try to handle this all on your own, you have family here."
Nabiki nodded as she clung to Akane for a bit, before she lifted her face from her sister's shoulder and softly told them what Douglas had relayed for Ranma.
In the aftermath, the three women sat in silence for a moment before Ukyo gently laid Chiko down and pulled the other two into her warm embrace.
"What… What do we do from here? What… What do we tell Qiang Pu?" Nabiki said softly.
"We will be there for her, sugar. We be there for all of them. It's what family does, after all." Ukyo replied softly as the three women shared tears and worries for what was to come.