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 31

Three days had passed, and Doctor Tofu had agreed that they could try to let Hina move Yaayaa's legs on the next transition. It was something that Yaayaa found she had very mixed feelings on. She wanted things to work out for Hina, and herself, but the thought of watching someone walk around in her old body while she could not even move the doll at all was… Very frustrating. It felt like she would be trapped again in a body that she could not move, stuck in place while someone else lived her life.

As she started to panic a little and breathe a bit more raggedly, she was pulled from the recesses of her mind by a hand that was just as warm as the sun outside where they had been sitting next to each other. Yaayaa looked at Hina, and met the worried, concerned eyes of the cursed doll and then looked down.

"Still afraid that you won't be able to figure it out, Yaayaa?" Hina asked in a soft voice as she rested her hand fully on Yaayaa's.

Yaayaa bit her lip and nodded, unable to meet the eyes of the cursed doll that sat next to her.

"It will all work out, Yaayaa. I promise you that. I will not leave you trapped in another body that won't do what you need it to. I won't. Not to you." Hina said with a fierce determination that surprised both of the girls. They shared a soft, shy laugh and Yaayaa started to relax as Hina laced her fingers into the other girls and gave them a gentle squeeze.

:But… What if I can't figure it out…" Yaayaa said softly as she gripped Hina's hand a little tighter.

"You will, and I even have an idea that might help, since I know your hobbies and passions pretty well by now…" Hina said cryptically as she ignored the confused look from the young girl next to her.

"If you say so… But I don't quite understand…" Yaayaa said in a confused tone of voice.

Hina winked at Yaayaa and grinned. "If I say too much, then it might not work. Just, trust me this time, okay?" Hina said, then when Yaayaa nodded, she stood up and placed her hands once more on the handles of Yaayaa's wheelchair and started to head back to the facility.

Yaayaa could not help but wonder what the ancient spirit had in mind, but she let herself relax and not worry about it. Hina always had hr best interests in mind, after all.

Later, while Yaayaa was resting from their latest transfer in her room, Hina sat outside in her larger body next to Amaya. Hina had proven that she could, in fact, flex the toes, ankles, and knees of Yaayaa's body to the amount that Tofu wished to see so he had agreed to go forward with the program. Now, Hina wanted to take the chance to talk to Amaya about her plan, so that she could see if the Geisha would be willing to help her with her plan to get Yaayaa over the current hurdle.

"What is it that you wished to speak to this One about, when young Mistress Yaayaa was fast asleep?" The dark-skinned Geisha asked in that indirect yet direct fashion that she had learned.

Hiana nodded as she laced her fingers together before her and stretched in a way that Amaya knew did not actually benefit the body that Hina currently wore, but showed the habits that had endured over the years. "I have a plan to help Yaayaa get over the problem she is currently having with my body."

Amaya eyed the ancient spirit, then nodded. "This One will listen, if you would happen to have an idea that might be of use to the young Mistress."

"I'm sure that most of the issues she is having is that she doesn't expect the body to actually move. She can't free herself from the prison that her flesh and blood has become." Hina said and bit her lip.

Amaya nodded as she took on a thoughtful look. "This One has known many like that, ove her years. People that could not do what they were capable of, because they had listened to others, or even themselves, and expected to fail." Amaya had a thoughtful look for a moment, then flicked her fan out as she faced forward. "And this One assumes that there is a way that this most humble One might be of some small measure of assistance in helping Mistress Yaayaa overcome this mental block?"

Hina nodded and stretched again. "Yes, and Gosunkugi might not be happy… But if anyone can keep this body in good shape, it is hime." She said without fully explaining until she leaned over and started to explain her plan to Amaya, who, after a bit gave Hina a rare look of surprise and giggled behind her fan.

"Mistress Hina, you are surprisingly crafty. That is a brilliant way to use Yaayaa's own interests in a way that should encourage her to overcome this block of hers."

"Well, I have been around for…. A few more years than you have, Amaya." Hina said shyly.

Amya nodded and spared a rare smile for the ancient spirit, then stood up and stretched herself. "This One will help you, Mistress Hina. This One will do anything for the ons that she has taken as her students."

Hina bowed deeply to the Geisha. "We are in your hands, Sensai."

"When do you wish to begin?" Amaya asked.

"After lunch, I think. The sooner we can start, the better off Yaayaa will be." Hina answered before she looked to Amaya who nodded her acceptance before the cursed spirit waved and walked back towards Yaayaa's room.

After lunch, Yaayaa found herself being wheeled out to the back yard and to the large open space that had been set aside for Amaya's use. The young girl looked to Hina, who grinned knowingly as she adjusted the belt on her gi and then bowed to Amaya when she stepped out of the shadow of the other entrance. The geisha had put on a yukata and stopped in the middle of the area, which Yaayaa quickly realized had become an outdoor dojo of sorts as she looked back and forth from the two older women, and wriggled what little she could in anticipation.

Hina bowed to Yaayaa, and started to walk towards Amaya as the two of them shared a knowing look at Yaayaa's reaction. It would seem that their plan had already started to work

The two older women bowed to each other, then Amaya began her lesson. Hina had confided that she knew a little, but hadn't practiced in a very, very long time. Since she had offended the Kami and had been trapped as a doll, to be exact. So, they had decided to just start from the basics, just like Yaayaa would be. To that end, Amaya would be drilling the bare bones basics into Hina, and be able to start teaching Yaayaa.

Then, of course, there was the other reason for this. It was a plan they needed to start on as soon as possible, since Tofu had agreed to let Hina try walking on the next transfer.

They had to make progress with Yaayaa, and make it soon

Yaayaa gripped the arms of her wheelchair in anticipation and delight as she watched two of her favorite people practice one of the things that had always amazed and fascinated her the most. She had always lacked any sort of physical fitness or talent. She hadn't been a good or fast runner, her stamina was…. Lacking. And her coordination left much to be desired.

Yaayaa leaned forward the little bit she could as she watched them intently and smiled. If anything, where she lacked had only made her more interested. It had fueled her desire to know more, to see more of that world that lay forever out of her reach.

Yaayaa bit her lip as she thought about the fact it had been what had initially drawn her to Qiang Pu

Yaayaa forced her mind to focus on what the other two were doing, and creased her brow. Amaya had started to run Hina through the very basics, but what she had seen so far didn't match up with any of the established Arts she had seen before. She could recognize bits and pieces, but it seemed… different somehow. Sure, she hadn't seen a lot yet, since they were pretty much just working through the basics… But Yaayaa had always been a keen observer of martial arts, and she found what Amaya to be doing to be truly fascinating.

Once the two older women had stopped for Amaya to get a drink of water, Yaayaa fidgeted some more before the dark-skinned Geisha looked at her. "Is there something that you wish to ask of this One, Mistress Yaayaa?" Amaya asked as she placed her bottle of water back where she had placed it when they had begun.

"Ummm…. I.. Don't really know what style you are practicing, Amaya-Sensei… I mean… It looks like different things, but… I don't know what it is?" Yaayaa said without looking directly at Amaya.

Amaya walked over with that smooth, gliding gait of hers and knelt down to be on eye level with the seated young girl. "That is hardly surprising, Mistress. This One practices elements from many styles, but her foundations were in SOCP." Amaya answered, and at the perplexed expression that Yaayaa had, she blushed a little and looked down. "This One was trained in the fighting styles and methodology of the US special operations units. Over the years, this One has added to it, mostly by combining what she learned from others that had gone through similar training in their nation's armed forces. This One has also practiced extensively with Ranma-sensei and Mother Konatsu." Amaya said, then cleared her throat. "It is a much more… Practical… form of close combat than what any one of the more traditional styles would usually teach…" Amaya trailed off, as she looked up and met the star-struck look in Yaayaa's eyes as the young girl stared at her with open amazement in her eyes.

"I… I can't believe that you have been trained by special forces… I guess it makes sense, but still… If someone as… Ummm…. Petite…. As you can do it… Then… Maybe if I wasn't like this…." Yaayaa said then trailed off as she looked down at her legs that would never again carry her. As the tears started to roll down her cheeks, Yaayaa found herself being hugged from front and back by the two older women as they offered gentle comfort to the distressed young girl.

"It's going to be okay, dear. Soon, you will be running again and learning to do all the things that you have always wanted to do. You will have a body that will never grow old, or sick, or suffer permanent injuries again. You will be free to do all the things that you have always told yourself that you can't, because of who you are and what you look like." Hina said softly as she offered comfort to the young girl that she hoped would find the release she so desperately needed from the prison that she saw her body as.

Amaya offered her own comfort in silence, as she let the more social Hina handle things while she dealt with her own emotions, and the wounds that still lingered on her own heart from the years that she had hid from who she was. The strength and maturity of this young girl made her want to help even more, to see what kind of young lady she would become over the years.

As she silently reached up and wiped the tears from the young girl's eyes, Amaya wondered once again if this is what it would be like to raise a child of her own.

It might be a topic that Michi had always been obsessed with, but Amaya had never particularly cared for it. She had had sex in both forms over the years, mostly to fit in or to handle the urges that were brought on by her hormones, but she had never really obsessed over it like some of her peers in both of her lives had. It had always just been something that was just there, and the end results… Well, when she had lived as a man, it had certainly been the farthest thing from her mind.

But taking care of Yaayaa, and to an extent Hina, seemed to ease an ache she had never really known that she had. It filled a place in her heart that she had never really noticed had been empty.

Maybe she could understand a little of what Michi desired.

When the time came for the next transfer, Yaayaa could not help but feel even more anxious about what was to come. She gripped the arms of her chair tightly, then took a deep breath and let go as Doctor Tofu made the final preparations. Yaayaa cast a look at where Hina's smaller doll form sat in her little chair, waiting for when Yaayaa would inhabit it.

Yaayaa watched as Doctor Tofu walked over to her and asked a few questions that she honestly didn't remember after he asked them, and felt oddly detached as he checked her over once before Hina took his place. The cursed spirit smiled gently at her and rested her hand on Yaayaa's and asked another question that Yaayaa just nodded to, before the young girl felt that odd shift and once again found herself in the small doll's body.

As she expected, she couldn't move anything. The doll's arms and legs remained firmly planted where they had been arranged, and even her gaze was locked forwards. After a moment, she watched as Doctor Tofu and Amaya stepped towards where her body sat, and helped her stand up. No, not her .. It was not Yaayaa who stood up in her broken body. It was Hina who moved her body now. It was Hina who stood on the two legs that would never again carry her. It was Hina who stretched and nodded to Doctor Tofu as Amaya and he slowly removed their hands and let her take a few steps on her own.

As the two stepped away, Hina ran through the series of physical motions that Doctor Tofu had assigned her for this first full-movement exercise. She took a few steps forward, then turned, and made her way back, all while keeping her hands on the set of parallel rails that had been placed for her. Luckily, the muscles hadn't started to break down quite yet, but she could tell that they had weakened some already. One of the tasks that she had was to help keep Yaayaa's body in working shape, since it just worked better to use the resources that were already there, plus it helped the body remain healthier. Hina cast a quick look at Yaayaa where she sat in her little chair, and could tell immediately that the girl still could not move the doll. She was certain that it was a matter of her thinking that she couldn't, that she had locked herself inside the doll behind a wall of assumptions and fear.

One of the tasks that Hina and Amaya had set themselves was to start to break down that wall, to free the young girl from the prison she had created for herself. And they would attempt to take the first step today.

Hina took a deep breath, and looked at Tofu after she shared a glance with Amaya. "Doctor Tofu? I want to try a sequence with Amaya, to make sure that the movements I have acquired while I was a spirit can actually be applied to a living body, if that is okay? I promise not to do anything that might tax Yaayaa's body or cause it harm." She asked and waited with baited breath for Tofu to make a decision.

Doctor Tofu looked at Hina intently for a minute that seemed to drag on forever before he glanced at Amaya, and took in the calm expression on the dark-skinned Geisha's face. He had already observed how protective Amaya had become of Yaayaa, and Hina to a lesser extent, and trusted her reactions to anything that might pose a risk to the wellbeing of the young girl. What he saw in Amaya's expression and eyes made him take a slow breath, and then he adjusted his glasses before he addressed Hina directly. "I will allow it, as long as you abide by my decisions. If i think that it is too much, we will stop immediately and you will transfer back as soon as we have Yaayaa's body secured again, is that understood?"

Hina bowed quickly and nodded. "Perfectly, Doctor Tofu. I have no problem agreeing to that, and I trust you and Amaya to make sure that I don't accidentally overdo anything."

Doctor Tofu nodded and wiped his glasses again. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, if Amaya-sensei is not opposed to it, I was thinking we could continue our exercises from this morning?" Hina said as she looked at Amaya.

"This One would not object, Hina. As long as we are careful to make sure that we return what you are borrowing in the same condition that you borrowed it in." Amaya said as she looked to Doctor Tofu, and waited for his quick nod before she moved to stand behind Yaayaa's wheelchair to bring it with them.

Hina walked over and carefully took Doll-Yaayaa into her arms and snuggled her gently against her chest, and let Doctor Tofu take Yaayaa's little chair with him as he followed the other three women towards the outdoors practice area. When they parked Yaayaa's wheelchair and placed the little chair for her doll body, Hina was careful to make sure that Doll-Yaayaa would not be quite able to see all of the usable section of the practice area.

That was a very important detail for what they hoped to achieve today.

Hina and Amaya bowed to each other as Doctor Tofu watched with an unreadable expression on his face as Doll-Yaayaa stared ahead at the two, while the spirit of the young girl practically leaned forward in eager anticipation.

Hina and Amaya started to move, as they worked their way at a slow, steady pace through the sequences that they had practiced that morning. Each movement led into another, each action led to the appropriate response. A delicate dance, as Yaayaa watched enraptured.

The next step took the pair to the edge of where Yaayaa could see, and she felt a moment of anxiety before they stepped back and she felt herself relax. The next sequence saw Amaya press Hina, and she took a few quick steps back, out of where Yaayaa could see. Without thinking, without realizing it, the young girl in the doll's body turned her head and leaned forward a little to make sure she didn't miss a moment of the action.

The next moment, Yaayaa was consumed with panic, as she found herself unable to breath and tumbled out of her little chair and started to paw at her throat until Hina rushed over and gently lifted her up and held her carefully. As Yaayaa stared up at her own face, at her own eyes but an expression that she had surely never worn before she felt herself start to slowly calm down as Hina talked to her quietly.

"It's okay. Relax. This body doesn't need to breathe, dear one. It's okay. I am so proud of you… You moved on your own! Now, just relax… Close your eyes, and relax. There… There you go. That's a good girl." Hina said as she cradled the little doll close to her chest, and smiled up at Doctor Tofu, then looked at Amaya who nodded. "I will return her to her old body soon, Doctor. For now, it's best that she gets used to this little body of hers. And soon… Soon we can start working in earnest, now that she has broken herself free of the prison she placed herself in…" Hina said as she gently stroked the soft hair on the doll's head in a comforting manner.

For the first time in untold ages, Hina felt something that she had not really dared acknowledge in the past.

Hope.

*A/N* Sorry for the late post, life derailed things and I ended up doing a bit of a rewrite along the way….