Living the Martial Way

Chapter 6

It seems like forever before Nabiki cries herself to sleep. My thoughts are roiling as I tuck her back into bed and leave her room. I nearly jump out of my skin when I end up face to face with Kasumi as I turn from the door.

"She had another nightmare didn't she?" It's more of a statement then a question but I answer anyway.

"Yeah, took her awhile to calm down…Does this happen often?"

Kasumi shuffles her feet before motioning towards the guest room. Once we're inside she answers me.

"They've been coming less often, but…And, sometimes she…" I wait, not wanting to force her to answer. "sometimes they're bad…very bad. I'm sorry, I shouldn't burden you with this, I'll go. Please try to get some sleep." Kasumi goes to the door but stops. "She only has one at a time so…and, thank you...she…she's never been able to sleep after having one before."

After Kasumi leaves I lay on my futon, just thinking. It's not until a few hours later that I finally fall asleep.

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I wake up feeling more refreshed then I have in a long time. Then the memory of what happened last night comes back to me. 'Oh no, not another one. I thought I was done them.' I nearly start crying again until I remember what else happened. 'Who came and held me? He obviously wasn't Akane or Kasumi, and Daddy isn't as muscled so…' The blood roars to my face as I realize that it must have been Ranma.

I get ready for the day, trying not to think about the fact that Ranma was the one who held me, but it doesn't work. 'How? How could I feel so safe with him? I've never slept after one of my nightmares…I need to talk to him.'

Making my way to the breakfast table, the only voices I hear are Daddy and Kasumi. Akane must be out for her morning jog. Daddy and Kasumi stop talking when I enter the room.

"…Ok, what is it?" I ask as I sit down.

There's a pause, I can practically feel them sharing a look. Finally Daddy speaks up. "Nabiki, Kasumi tells me that you had another nightmare. Are you alright?"

I nod. "I'm fine Daddy, Ranma helped me calm down." 'Dammit stop blushing' I tell myself. "Do you know where he is? I'd like to thank him."

When Daddy doesn't respond Kasumi speaks up, "He said he'd wait in the dojo while I got breakfast ready. Why don't you go talk to him while I finish up."

I give her a smile as I get up, "Thanks Kasumi, we'll be back in a few minutes."

I can feel the floor shake as I stand outside the dojo doors. I feel silly knocking, but I'm so nervous that I'm taking any excuse to put this off.

I hear Ranma call out "Come in."

Sliding the door closed as I step inside. I've always liked the dojo. There are few places where I don't have to worry about where I'm walking, even outside there are rocks and bumps in the ground that I tend to trip over. But in here there's just open space. It's very relaxing for me…not that it's helping now.

I feel stupid for having to ask this, "Umm…where are you?"

I hear his voice off in the far corner, "Oh right, sorry."

I turn towards his voice and meet him halfway, stopping when I feel his weight settle. I just stand there for awhile, trying not to blush as I work up the courage to voice my thoughts. He beats me to the punch again, his voice filled with concern as he asks,

"Are you alright?...After last night I mean."

"I, yes. Thank you. Thank you for…helping me…like you did. You, you didn't have to."

"It wasn't a problem, really…I'm just…I'm just glad you're ok." I can feel him shuffling his feet. "…Kasumi told me…she told me that you've never slept afterwards."

I feel so ashamed, I can't face him. "I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to hear about this-" I stop as he suddenly pulls me into a fierce hug.

"Don't ever say that. Ever. I'm your friend remember." He doesn't seem to realize that he holds me tighter as he says, almost in a whisper, "And…I know how it feels."

I realize that he isn't wearing a shirt when I feel the scars. They're all across his chest, arms and back. Anywhere I place my hands I find thick, angry lines covering his body. I can't help but gasp in shock. But I don't pull away, I can't, not after he was so kind when he saw my face. I return the hug, holding him tight to me even as he relaxes his grip.

After a moment I manage to ask, "…How?"

I can feel him tense again, "I…I'd rather not talk about it. And it's not…it's not that I don't want you to know. It's just…" He trails off.

"You're not ready yet."

He sighs, I feel it more then hear it. "Yeah, even though it's been so long, I…I'm just not ready yet. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, I understand…I'm not really comfortable talking about what happened to me either."

"…It's not being blind that's causing the nightmares, is it?" I shake my head. "And you haven't told your family what it is, have you?" It's more of a statement then a question.

I look away, "No…They already worry enough about me…I don't want to add to their burden."

I feel his hands turn my face back towards his. "Nabiki, I…If, if you ever need to talk. About anything. I'll be here for you." He places my hand on his chest, I can feel several of the scars. His voice falls to a whisper again. "…I know what it's like. More then anyone I know what you're going through."

He doesn't need to say anymore. I pull myself deeper into his arms, barely able to hold back my tears. "Thank you, thank you so much."

He simply holds me, the same way he held me last night. The same concern, the same tenderness. Arms that feel like they could pound concrete are holding me so gently but so strongly that I can't help but feel safe. All my emotional walls crash around me as I begin to sob into his chest.

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Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. A bunch of minor stuff in my life piled up and got in the way. And once I took care of it all…I had writers block. I actually wrote a one-shot just to get the ideas flowing again, I posted it for anyone who is interested. I know that this chapter is shorter then the recent ones, I left it short partly because it's been so long since I updated and I didn't want to keep you all waiting any longer. But more importantly it's because I feel that this scene makes a perfect stopping point. I do know where I'm going from here, and will have more written and posted as soon as I can. Since it's the weekend, that should be very soon.

Also, the people who guessed correctly about Ranma's scars are Dobe-Teme, Dumbledork, keichan2, ChaosRune, Darkstardragon99, and Jess D. Thank yous go out to these and all other readers and reviewers. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing from you all.