Disclaimer:

The characters in this story aren't mine, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi and other publications… I'm only here so I can practice my writing…lol… I do not own any of the characters and gains no profit from writing this story… so again please don't sue!!!… I already have enough problems managing bill payments…..

I do not intend on making any profit from making this story but only a writer writing about one of her favourite character, namely Nabiki.

Author's Pre-notes:

Sorry I just couldn't resist to reply back on some of the reviews and comments made. Thank you to all that reviewed by the way. It was greatly appreciated. Now to answer some of the commentaries:

an author - If you read my profile, you would know that English is my Second language. But I do try my hardest to write a decent story. I'm not trying to write a book but only to have some fun. But I will keep your advice in mind.

Tada-kun - I didn't spell "sulking" wrong. Lol. What is meant by the word "skulking" is sneaking, lurking or on the prowl. But when I was writing this chapter all those words didn't come to mind only skulking! Lol . Sorry about that

Phoenix.nu- Thank you for admitting you like the first chapter. But like I said, due to popular demand I decided to write how it all began sort of story. I don't expect this story to exceed more than 10 chapters Or at least 5 chapters. But I will finish this story one way or another. Lol.

Now that, that's out of my chest. I can now resume to write the story. Please enjoy.

Bold Italics - Means dream sequence

Italics - Means thoughts

Nabiki walked briskly away from Ranma. Embarrassed, confused and overall angry.

"Is that really how everyone sees me? That I can't do anything nice of my own accord without anything to gain?" Nabiki said to herself as she began to wipe angrily at the tears that had escaped from her eyes.

"Why am I being like this all of a sudden?" Nabiki asked herself. She wasn't used to be overcome with emotional problems. She normally push them aside or ignore them. But recently it was getting harder and harder to control her emotions. Could it be she is beginning to act like her father? An emotional wreck? Was it genetic?

Meanwhile Ranma began to run after her. He just knew he did something wrong. Nabiki looked upset. He really didn't understand what was her problem. Women by far are the most bizarre species on earth. Very undecipherable creatures.

He almost caught up to her when he stopped. Lunch is almost over. He needs to get back at school. Ranma was torn wether to chase after Nabiki and apologise or just go back to his classes and apologise later when she had cooled down. He decided for the later. He will apologise later after class. It just wouldn't do if he missed any of his classes. He will yet again get in trouble from Ms Hinako and not to mention from Ukyou and Akane.

Nabiki with no where else to go decided to just go home. She could always say she just wasn't feeling well, in which in this case was true. She just needed to avoid interaction with her father and Kasumi. She could care less what Uncle Saotome thought of her.

Kasumi was humming merrily as she gathered the clothes from the clothes line when she heard someone come in. It was odd since her father and her uncle went out today to buy some sake and cigarettes. They couldn't be back this soon. Plus school hasn't finished yet. Something must be wrong.

She went at door to investigate only to find Nabiki's shoes. Nabiki came home early today.

Nabiki buried her head in her pillow. She felt worst for wear. She was on edge lately. Her emotions are out of control as well. Never before had she been more assailed of thoughts of depression. Thoughts of being so alone. Perhaps that little traffic incident caused more damage to her than she realised. What was it they said again? Near death experience?

Nabiki heard a soft knock coming from her door.

"Come in." Nabiki said. Her head still buried in the pillow.

Kasumi entered Nabiki's room and found her sister lying on her stomach. Her face buried on her pillow.

"Bad day at school?" Kasumi inquired.

"You could say that." Came Nabiki's muffled reply.

"Want to talk about it?" Asked Kasumi.

"Not really." Came Nabiki's reply.

"You'd feel better after wards. Besides I'm your sister." Kasumi reassured her.

Nabiki lifted her head from the pillow and rested on her side, while she glanced up to her older sister. She was always so nice and everybody loved her. In a way they looked complete opposites. She was more subdued, while she on the other hand was more callous. Which made her frown.

"What is wrong?" Kasumi asked worriedly.

"Kasumi can I ask you something? You have to promise to tell me the brutal truth ok? Do not sugar coat it or say it's because I'm your sister. I want the brutal, good to honest truth." Nabiki finally said.

"I will try." Kasumi replied. She couldn't promise that to Nabiki. She would never want anything to hurt her sister's feelings. Or anyone's feelings for that matter.

Nabiki supposes that, that was the next best thing she could get from Kasumi. She knew her sister. She will never want to hurt anyone's feelings. She was far too considerate of other to hurt them. But that doesn't mean she will lie to them either.

"Am I a bad person?" Nabiki found herself asking her sister.

"What do you mean?" Clearly not understanding what her sister meant.

"Am I a mean, cold hearted person? You can tell me. Honestly. Do you see me as a materialistic opportunist that preys on people's weakness to gain profit?" She asked as she stared intently on her older sister's eyes.

Kasumi paused for a while. She knew about her sister's other curricular activities. She knew what the other people always said about Nabiki. She had some doubts about it at first. But coming from their own sister Akane and her fiancé Ranma when they complained about Nabiki at times, one can only imagine her shock and surprise. Still she never really saw her as a manipulating, calculating young woman. Only misunderstood. She doesn't approve of what she does either but Kasumi wasn't that oblivious to the fact where some of the money where coming from.

"No your not a cold hearted person, Imotouchan. Materialistic Opportunist? Maybe. You do use people to gain profit and get what you want Nabiki. Sometimes it's right and there are times that it's wrong. You manipulate things and turn things to your advantage. Does that make you a bad person? Yes and No. it all depends on the circumstances and the underlying purposes." Kasumi explained.

Nabiki then proceeded to bury her head in the pillow. She had her answer.

Kasumi smooth her back.

"If your cold hearted as you think you are, then why are you bothered by this fact? Why ask this question? The fact that it disturbs you and frightens you that the answer to the question you seek is proof enough that your not as cold or mean as others perceive you are. You simply repressed your emotions so much that they are now ready to explode." Kasumi explained to her.

Nabiki looked up from her pillow and looked at Kasumi. Tears glistened from her eyes.

"You know sis, you maybe right but how am I to know that what you just said was honest? You might be just saying this just to make me feel better or the fact that we are sisters." Nabiki replied back to her.

"You maybe right. You will never know if I spoke the truth or not, because it all depends on how you take what I said. No amount of I told you so Will make you believe me. But the fact that we are sisters doesn't always mean I will be always on your side. Smoothing your hurt ego or feelings. The fact that you know I love you should be proof enough that I will tell you the truth." Kasumi replied back with a smile.

Nabiki just sat up from her bed and hugged her older sister. Never before had they talked like this. The depth of feelings her sister just said was so overwhelming. She had thought her sister was oblivious to her surroundings when the fact of the matter was, she was more attuned to it that everything else.

"Do you feel better now?" Kasumi asked.

"Yes. Thank you Oneechan." Nabiki said warmly.

"Always remember Nabiki that I will always be here for you. We are all going to be here for you. Cause that's what families do." Kasumi reminded her.

"Thanks Kasumi. But I'd like to be alone for a little while if that's ok with you." Nabiki said.

"Of course. But remember what I said ok?" Kasumi said as she left her room to give her sister some much needed space and privacy.

That night Ranma couldn't sleep. He kept tossing and turning. Nabiki seemed fine enough in dinner but she didn't talk much either. She just kept silent all through dinner, then went straight to her room after thanking Kasumi for the wonderful meal.

Ranma is still bothered what was going on with the middle Tendo. He knew it's somehow his fault, because it was always his fault. This line of thinking was now ingrained in his mind. Guilt gnawed at him. He was bothered by the amount of pain he saw in Nabiki's eyes earlier at the park. It somehow mirrored his own loneliness. Which was quite frightening.

Finally admitting defeat, he begrudgingly sat up. There was only one way to settle this and that is to actually hear it from the "horses mouth" so to speak. He needed to confront Nabiki. She had been driving him up the wall lately, making him more aware of her because of her sudden aloofness. Her behaviour was just to unnerving for him and he doesn't like being kept on his toes for too long. What ever she had planned for him, she had better do it cause waiting like this was slow torture for him.

He was just no good with mind games or as skilled at it as Nabiki was. So he decided that it was time to end this game, once and for all.

Dream sequence:

Nabiki tossed and turned as she slept. Images flashed through her mind. She was bothered by them all. She heard voices of disappointment, hatred and taunts. In her dreams she tried to runaway from them all. As shadows began to chase her.

Nabiki ran as fast as she could. But the shadows kept gaining at her, clawing her. Evil laughs were heard. She finally saw a cave in which she took shelter and hid from her pursuers.

Deep inside the cave it felt cold. As she looked around she found that she was surrounded by ice. There where icicles that dangerously loomed at the top of the cave. It was surprisingly bright in there. But it was so unbearably cold.

Ranma hanged around outside Nabiki's window. Contemplating wether to wake up the middle Tendo to finally speak his mind. Her window was left open, enabling him to peer inside. He saw her lying in bed, her blanket was now wrapped around her haphazardly. As she tossed and turned. Ranma immediately deduced that Nabiki was probably dreaming.

Curiosity got the better of Ranma as he entered her room uninvited. As he gazed at the girl's sleeping form. There was something eerie about watching someone sleep. She looked more human and vulnerable when she was awake.

"I wonder what it is that you dream of?" Ranma softly asked himself as he sat beside her bed. Watching her.

Nabiki went deeper and deeper into the cave. She could feel her legs slowly becoming numb with cold. But something made her go deeper into the cave. Something was drawing her further. Then she heard a faint voice.

"Help me." The familiar voice cried.

It echoed through out the cave, making her shudder even more. Apart of her wanted to leave but a bigger part of her wanted to stay as if there was something important that she needed to discover.

The voice cried out hauntingly throughout the cave again and again. Beckoning her to come. And as if she was in a trance, she followed the direction of the voice which led her deeper into the cave.

She found herself ask the voice "Who are you?"

But the only response she got was the same.

"Please help me…." it said hauntingly.

"Who are you?" Nabiki murmured in her sleep.

For a second Ranma thought that she had awakened but saw through the darkness that she was very much asleep.

Ranma saw Nabiki's face contorted into a frown. He began to wonder yet again what it was that the girl dreamt.

Nabiki finally reached the end of the cave. It looked like a room, but instead it was filled with mirrors. Or so it looked like mirrors. it surrounded the room. From closer inspection she had discovered that they were all made of ice.

She felt the room temperature drop some more as she heard the voice once more.

"Help me…" the voice pleaded once again.

"Who are you?" Nabiki found herself asking.

"Help me…"

"Where are you?" said as her voice echoed. She saw her image reflected into the ice. Making clones of her, though eerily enough they all looked like they were looking back at her.

Nabiki began to panic as she looked around surrounded by mirror images of her as the voice continued its haunting pleas.

Her vision began to spin and filled with fear she ran. Before bumping into one foggy mirror. There was something different from it since she could definitely see there was someone in the other side. Frozen inside more like it.

The voice was more pronounce now and more clear. It was coming from the fogged mirror. Someone was trapped inside of it.

Without hesitation she wiped the mirror, hoping to see who it was in the other side. What she saw made her scream. As the voice pleaded to her.

"Help me…"

Then at once the other clone images of her began to smirk and laugh hideously. As they began to surround her.

"NOOO!" Nabiki screamed as she jerked awake.

Ranma was beside her and quickly tried to calm her down by engulfing her in his arms.

Nabiki who was gasping for breath, felt warmth surrounding her as she shivered at the memory of her dream.

She began to cry. Grateful to whoever it was that was there in her room comforting her.

Ranma slowly rocked her form trying to sooth her.

"It was just a dream." he repeated to her.

Hearing Ranma's voice made her pull away from the comfort of his arms. And made her look at him. Tears still flowed from her eyes.

Ranma first thought that she would start to yell at him and throw him out of her room. He never expected to hear her say those words.

"Thank you Ranma." she said as she brushed away the tears from her eyes. Making her feel childish because of the way she behaved.

"It's ok… Do you feel better now?" Ranma asked her. Concerned of her wellbeing.

"I think so…" Nabiki replied back hesitantly.

"You had a nightmare didn't you?" Ranma asked her pointedly.

"Yes." Nabiki replied.

"What was the nightmare about?" Ranma found himself wondering. What type of nightmares does Nabiki suffer from? It can't be like the one he has from time to time. He shuddered thinking of them right now as he remembered a few of them.

Nabiki found herself wondering if she should tell Ranma about the dream. Would he listen to her? Can she trust him? Or would he laugh?

She saw him waiting patiently waiting for an answer. Her mind debated wether or not to tell him.

"It's ok Nabiki. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, so long as your ok." Ranma found himself saying. Even though he was still curious.

Nabiki felt she wanted to tell someone about it. To talk to someone about it. She found the desire to tell Ranma all of a sudden why she was so scared and frightened. She felt secure and safe in the confines of his arms. Surely she could trust him.

"I dreamt about me." Nabiki found herself saying.

Ranma was now seating beside her on the bed as he held her hand. Squeezing her hand softly, Urging her to continue.

"I dreamt I saw myself, encased in ice." Nabiki said as her voice faltered.

Author's Notes:

Well what do you think? Do you like it? I thought I should explore a little sisterly bonding in this chapter.

I think there is more to Kasumi than most people give her credit for. Like all others I think her obliviousness is merely a façade and that there is more to her than meets the eye.

Well that's all for now. Please review.

Ja Ne,

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