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 32
As Hina moved in Yaayaa's body towards the training area, she cast a look behind her at the small figure that diligently walked along behind her, her little chair held tightly. Hina didn't even bother to try to hide the happy smile that came so naturally to this face, to this body. In the days since she had first managed to make the doll move, Yaayaa had become ever more and more insistent on doing what she could on her own in her little body.
Hina had to admit, it was both admirable and more than a little adorable as she watched the little doll walk with a determined look on her surprisingly expressive face. Yaayaa had been almost impatient for today's lesson, and it was hard to tell if it was the chance to watch Hina's practice with Amaya, or the chance to move on her own that had driven that impatience.
Hna was sure it was a mix of both.
Today would also be a first for Yaayaa, because Hina would start to teach her how to move from one body to the other today. Their plans for the future depended on Yaayaa picking up this skill as well, not just so that she could function better in her life, but so that she could take advantage of the flexibility that this existence offered her.
Also, it was better to not be in the body when Hikaru had to work on it. Then there was the unpleasant situation of being stuck in an old, broken and useless form. She had experienced that more than a few times over the many, many years of her existence. It was not something that she would ever wish for the young girl to have to experience.
Hina pulled her mind back to the present as she faced Amaya and bowed respectfully to the geisha. Amaya was another puzzle that she could not help but feel like she wanted to understand, but at the same time she respected the African-American geisha enough not to pry. For now, she would just continue to accept the help that had been offered to both Yaayaa and her.
Once the lesson had started, Hina glanced over after a bit and noticed that the small doll was following through the motions as best as she could with a determined look on her delicate little face. Hina never ceased to be amazed at the strength of will of the younger girl, and her drive to make the absolute best that she could of the opportunities that had been laid before her.
Hina had her attention pulled back fully to Amaya when a fist stopped a fraction of an inch from her nose, and the tiny Geisha looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Hina blushed bright red and stepped back to bow deeply to the geisha.
"I'm sorry, Amaya-sensei. I let my mind drift for a moment." Hina said sincerely and honestly. There was no point in trying to make excuses for what had happened, the respect that she had for their teacher demanded no less.
Amaya looked at Hina, then nodded. "This One understands, but it is important that you make sure that you stay focused, that you stay in the present. We should take a break, and let you work with Yaayaa for a bit. This One would also like to see how you will teach her this talent. The more that this One understands, the easier it will be to see if there is anything this One can help with."
Yaayaa and Hina exchanged a look, then both of them bowed towards Amaya before Yaayaa picked up her hair and walked along behind Hina as the pair of them walked towards the small gazebo where Hina had left the larger doll.
Hina had chosen to work on this next step in a quiet place, where there was little that would distract Yaayaa, The first transitions would be the most difficult, From her own experiences with when she first taught herself, it would be easy for the young girls mind to become distracted, and lost at first.
Hina smiled down at Yaayaa in a reassuring manner as she picked up the little doll and placed it gently in the lap of the larger version. Hina pulled up the other chair and sat down across from Yaayaa as she watched the smaller version get settled in without thinking about it.
"Okay, now you just need to relax and close your eyes. Get comfortable, and try to look inside. Find the quiet place in your mind, and let yourself slowly slip into it. Keep doing that until you feel yourself drifting a little, like you are floating on a large, placid lake. Good… Very good…." Hina said in a soothing tone of voice with a soft, rounded sound to it.
Yaayaa did as she was told, and soon she did feel like she was floating on a placid lake. The only solid points were a few people-shaped objects, two of which felt too solid, too real. She felt like she sat in one smaller, comfortable place but there was another close to her. One that felt just as comfortable and welcoming, even if it was larger.
Yaayaa hesitated for a minute before she reached for the other, and grabbed hold of it. She tentatively tugged and pulled, curious about it. She felt like she had slipped out of a warm sleeping bag and found herself surrounded by a cold, dark expanse for a moment. She panicked for a second, then found that other welcoming space, and pulled herself back into its comforting embrace. She sat huddled inside for a minute, before she slowly opened her eyes once more and looked down at the small form of the doll cradled in her lap.
Yaayaa looked up and met the eyes of Hina, and smiled happily.
Hina smiled warmly at Yaayaa before she reached out and gently took the smaller doll into her lap. "You did very well, Yaayaa. Now, why don't you try and walk around a bit and get used to this body."
When Yaayaa stood up and started to walk around, Amaya looked at Hina with a questioning look as Yaayaa started to move through the exercises she had watched earlier. "Is it okay for Lady Yaayaa to be moving like that? Will it not take longer to adjust to the larger body?"
Hina smiled as she watched Yaayaa, then turned to look at Amaya. "That would be true, but the proportions and weight ratios for each of the bodies are as close to the same, proportionally, as Hikaru could manage. He really has become a talented doll maker over the years." Hina said, then noticed the look in Amaya's eyes and rolled her own. "Please, I am not interested in Hikaru like that. And he is attached to me, but not like that. We… Have a very close relationship, yes, but it's not that kind of relationship. It probably seems odd from the outside, but… We are both happy with how things are."
"Then… Does not losing that closeness when you assume Yaayaa's life pose a threat to that closeness?" Amaya asked, as she looked over Yaayaa, and nodded to herself.
"With anyone else…. You would not be wrong. And, yes… It will put a bit of strain on each of us. The fact that we are so close, and know each other so well is part of what makes me know that things will work out. Even if it takes a few months or years, we will be able to get in touch with each other again, and our relationship will continue on, in some form or another." Hina said, then gently placed the little doll in her chair and stood and stretched before she looked at Amaya.
"Sensei, do you think it would be okay if Yaayaa and I worked together for the rest of our time today?" Hina asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.
Amaya looked between the two, the ancient spirit that wore a young girls flesh, and the young girl who blinked and looked back and forth between Hina and herself for a moment, before she snapped her fan out and held it demurely before her mouth for a moment in thought, before she snapped it closed and nodded. "This One would find that acceptable, as long as you both promise to follow this One's instructions?"
The other two looked at each other for a moment, before they both turned and bowed deeply to the Geisha. "We are in your care, Sensei!" They chorus together, and smiled at Amaya as the geisha shook her head, then gently picked up the little doll and her chair and led the pair back to the training area.
Once Amaya had made herself comfortable with the little doll settled in her lap, she nodded at the pair to begin. Amaya watched the two, and called out her instructions when she needed to. It was surprising just how quickly Yaayaa seemed to be adjusting, but perhaps that was the advantage of how young she was. Her mind was still malleable, able to change and adapt to new experiences and challenges far better than one who had had years to settle in a pattern.
Still, it was something to bring up to Doctor Tofu, the next time she had a chance to sit down with him and his darling wife. Yaayaa had adapted far better to this than she had thought she would, Amaya mused to herself as she corrected her pair of students as they worked through a sequence. Even in the doll, she had found that Yaayaa was a very easy person to read, and the initial jealousy and anger that had seemed to simmer under the surface when she had watched Hina using her body in ways that she no longer was capable of had faded in a far shorter time than she had thought that they would, if they ever did.
Honestly, it made her wonder if when the time came for Yaayaa's body to pass, if perhaps there might be a pair of souls that would be wearing artificial bodies for the foreseeable future, or perhaps only one, but it might not be the one that they had been told to anticipate.
Another thing to talk about with the Tofu's at another time.
The husband and wife pair were another interesting puzzle for Amaya to ponder and understand. She had, of course, had many chances to interact with the doctor over the years. He was the one that handled almost all the medical issues and exams for the Lilies of the House, and had often worked with the albino psychologist that all of them had to have sessions with.
Kasumi had never been someone that she had interacted with much before, and honestly, she had made the same mistake that many others had almost certainly made over the years in dismissing the housewife. Now that she had been able to talk to the eldest of the Tendo sisters, she had found her to be intelligent and understanding. She had many of the traits of the other two sisters, just she expressed them in ways that were different.
Honestly, spending time with the Tofu's made her regret her decision to live her life alone, rather than risk the heartbreak and potential exposure of seeking out relationships. It was a similar choice to what Taichi had made for herself, and quite a bit different than the one that Michi had made. Honestly, the rate that the former special forces medic went through partners of both genders sometimes left Amaya with her head spinning. She knew that Michi had been intimate with more than one of the Lilies over the years, including Tachi.
Still, such things were not for Amaya. She had never really found anyone since she had started her second life that she had connected with on that level, that she had wished to share that much of herself with. That she had felt that she had that kind of connection with, that she could be that vulnerable with.
Amaya sighed and stood up as she snapped her fan closed to draw the attention of her students to her. "Very well, this One thinks that you have made considerable improvement, especially you, Yaayaa. This One will look forward to working with both of you starting with our next session. Now, why don't you both head back to your rooms, and you can transfer back. Take the time to relax, and This One imagines that Doctor Tofu will wish to see you both again tonight."
The two girls looked at each other, then both turned to Amaya and bowed deeply before Yaayaa started to reach for the little doll before Hina shook her head and gently took the little doll into her arms and left the chair for Yaayaa to get.
"For now, it is best if you don't handle the other doll until you get a bit more used to transferring, and learn not to slip back without meaning to. In time, you will get to the point where you can make the transfer at will." Hina said before she smiled at Amaya and led Yaayaa back towards their room, as the two girls started to chat between themselves.
Amaya watched the pair for a minute, before she started to make her own way towards the main complex. She stopped when she saw the taller form of Kasumi Tofu as she stood and looked over the garden. Amaya assumed that the other woman had merely stopped to admire the scenery, until the other woman turned and smiled at the geisha and bowed respectfully to her.
Amaya bowed respectfully in return to the taller woman, and smiled softly as she looked up at her. "This One hopes that you find the view to your liking, Lady Tofu?"
Kasumi looked over the garden, then turned those gentle eyes onto Amya before she responded. "Yes, Amaya dear, I find the view here quite pleasing." The smile she gave the smaller geisha had her feeling a little flushed and out of sorts for a moment.
Amaya cleared her throat slightly and stood next to Kasumi before she spoke next. "Is there something that this One can do for you, Lady Tofu?"
Kasumi smiled warmly down at the smaller woman and nodded. "I was… I mean, we were, hoping that you would join us for dinner tonight? Tofu was hoping that he could ask you a few questions… And it would be nice to have the company of another woman for a few hours. As much as I love my husband, Tofu can be a bit… Less than engaging at times." Kasumi shifted a little, and looked away slightly. "I was thinking… It would be nice to get to talk, maybe over a nice game of go or shogi? I have heard that you are quite a talented player…"
Amaya glanced aside at the taller woman, and nodded before she licked her lips. "This One would be happy to accompany both of you."