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.
Italics Means Thoughts
Ranma found himself unable to say anything. He just listened as Nabiki continued with her story.
"I dreamt I was in a cavern covered with ice. And as I continued to proceed inside the cavern I finally reached the end. I reached a place where the wall where like mirrors only they were ice as well." Nabiki continued. Her voice faltered as she the images of what she dreamt about flashed in her mind.
"Everywhere I looked. There where images of me. Except they weren't me. A voice kept calling for help. I reached a fogged up mirror. Only to see a figure trap inside." Nabiki continued as she began to shiver.
Ranma saw her shiver and gently put her arms around her shoulders. Making Nabiki lean against him. His left arm began to slide up and down her arm to ease her.
Nabiki then began to cry and buried her head on his chest.
"It was me inside that mirror Ranma." She cried her voice muffled by his chest.
Ranma didn't know what to make out of Nabiki's dream. But it clearly disconcerted her. He found himself comforting her.
"It's ok now Nabiki. Your alright now. It's over now." Ranma said as he tried to reassure her.
Nabiki lifted her head up from his chest to look Ranma in the face. Her eyes were still glistening with tears.
"Thank you Ranma." Nabiki manage to say as she wiped her tears away.
Ranma on the other hand caught his breath. Looking at Nabiki at the moment made her look more human to him. More vulnerable. He was used to looking like her, like ice or steel. Able to rule her feelings and manipulate everyone that surrounds her. But looking at her right now, talking to her. Made him realise there was something more to the middle Tendo that he first thought.
The silence stretched between them.
It seemed like an eternity before Nabiki finally spoke again. Once she had regained control of her feelings and thoughts.
"Ranma?" Nabiki's voice faltered. She wanted to know why he was there with her.
She wanted to know how is it that he able to be by her side that quickly. But she didn't know how to word her question without sounding rude. After all he just spent a few moments ago consoling and comforting her. The last thing you would want to ask was question, why the hell they were there in the first place.
"Yeah?" Ranma replied.
"Why are you here?…" Nabiki asked. She decided to ask him point blank.
Ranma was speechless. He didn't know what to say.
Should he tell her that he thinks she's planning on scamming him big time because of the way she had been acting for the last couple of weeks?
Or should he just keep his trap shut.
Perhaps it's because she had been having these nightmares before which made her act differently. To him anyways.
"Uhmm…." was the only intelligent thing that came out of his mouth.
Nabiki just shook her head in amusement. He always did look cute when he was clueless.
"Whatever the reason is… Thank you." Nabiki found herself saying and before she can even stop herself, she gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek, which not only made him blush like a tomato but also made her blush herself.
They sat there in silence for a while. Before Ranma decide it was time for him to go.
"I think I better go now and let you get some sleep." Ranma said to her.
Nabiki only nodded.
Ranma began to climbed out of her window. Nabiki was close behind him. Before Ranma went, he looked back at the middle Tendo.
"Sweet dreams Nabiki." Ranma said before hopping off the window ledge and up to the roof and then towards his and his father's room.
"Sweet dreams." Nabiki whispered as she watched him leave. She lingered near her bedroom window for a minute or two before she finally went to bed. She fell into a deep but comfortable slumber.
Unbeknownst to the two, Kasumi was awake. She had heard Nabiki's cries and quickly ran comfort her younger sister. Only to stop by her door which was left slightly ajar and peered inside to see her sister being comforted by non other than Ranma.
Kasumi was concerned for her younger sister. Their melancholy talk earlier disturbed her. She had never heard her sister confess much of her feelings before. She wanted nothing more but to protect and comfort her sister. Then when she heard her cry out made her really worry.
She remembered when their mother passed away, that Nabiki suffered numerous nightmares. Akane was too young to remember or even comprehend the things that happened in their family. The change was drastic and somewhat devastating. They saw their once vibrant father, walk around like a walking corpse. Like an empty shell, who barely acknowledge he was alive. He would just stare at a distance and cry.
The changes took toll on her and Nabiki. Nabiki who is used to the habitual rituals in the house, such as watching their father train with their mother as they all watched and played with them later when they finished. Their parents who doted themselves to them. Kasumi began to cry as she remembered the good times they shared and the bitterness that soon followed when their mother passed away.
Their father wasn't the same. He would ignore them just to stare at a distance. Soon Kasumi had to take their mother's role but it wasn't enough. She remembered social services coming one day, to inform their father that Nabiki's performance has dropped and was getting into fights at school. Then when they saw the state of the house and their father's state who was drunk, threatened to take them away.
Those where one of the most traumatic and trying days of their lives. Nabiki at an early age found out about their financial standing. Already showing great prowess in Mathematics and Arithmetic she had undertaken the burden of managing the Tendo's funds. They also had to ask their relatives for support who at the time supported them out of pity. But in the end, their own relatives got tired of handing them money and they had to fend for themselves.
Looking back at all the things that happened to their family, Kasumi couldn't help but cry. Sure their father's condition gradually improved. It was also nice to see him smile again. But their father was far from cured. Their emotional turmoil continued. From their Father's gradual emotional breakdown, Nabiki's repressed emotions to Akane's temperamental behaviour. Of course she herself did not go on unscathed. She was forced to hide under a façade of obliviousness in order to hold their family together. But even with her put upon mask of oblivious happiness the pain didn't go away nor did it lessen.
She smiled when she thought of the Saotomes. They may have not known it but with their presence, did the family really begin to show promise. From Uncle Genma's idiocy to Ranma's clueless ness. It was their very arrival did the truth began to resurface. Enabling each member of the Tendo Family to face their own turmoil. Their father had became more and more emotionally strong since reuniting with Genma. Nabiki's wall of ice is slowly crumbling. Only Akane's behaviour seemed to have gotten worst.
Kasumi smiled as she saw Ranma comfort her sister. For some inexplicable reason she was relieved. Watching Ranma comfort Nabiki and Nabiki opening up to Ranma in turn. Kasumi had always thought Nabiki's treatment of Ranma was rather harsh, but Ranma's views about Nabiki was somewhat unjustifiable either. Maybe giving them some time alone, will they realised that they are akin to each other. That they have something more in common when they first thought. Perhaps after this they will get along better and end up as friends. Friends in which they both need.
Kasumi just smiled. She can see that their family is slowly healing itself. It was this thought that ultimately made her drift off into peaceful slumber.
A week after…
Nabiki was surprised when another person sat beside her at the library. She was at her sanctuary once again. Lost in the romantic settings in which the book she was reading described. She would sometimes laugh at some of the absurdity the characters undergo and the unrealistic ways in which they realise that they are in love. She ignored the stranger that sat beside her. Not even sparing a glance at the stranger as she continued to read her book.
But for some reason, Nabiki could not concentrate nor comprehend the sentences that she read. She had a sneaking suspicion it was because of the person beside her. She felt she was being watched. A feeling in which she absolutely detested. Finally giving up, she closed her book rather abruptly. Ready to tell off or move to another table. She decided to thank the person for ruining her quiet time. Sarcastically of course. She then turned to the other person only to be caught speechless.
"Hi Nabiki. Hows the book?" Ranma greeted her.
"Ranma? What are you doing here?" Nabiki frowned as she questioned him.
"Reading the same as you are." Ranma answered as he picked up the closed book in front of Nabiki.
"Never thought you'd be into this though." Ranma continued as he scrutinized the romance novel Nabiki was too absorb to notice, when he had sat down next to her.
Nabiki quickly snatched the book from his grasps. Quite shock and embarrassed at the same time.
"Hey no need to get embarrass!" Ranma reassured her as he showed her his own stacks of books. Mostly about martial arts and extraordinary phenomena.
"Sci-fi? Your into Sci-fi? Martial arts I can understand but Sci-fi?" Nabiki couldn't help herself. She began to giggle.
She can picture Ranma in a Sci-fi convention all neatly dressed up and wearing glasses with his hair slicked back. Looking all nerdy, but the image in her head didn't look nerdy at all. He looked remarkably smart and sexy. This made her stop laughing.
"Yeah I know? Who would have known a library has cool stuff in it to read?" Ranma answered. Completely oblivious to what amused Nabiki.
"No seriously why are you here?" Nabiki began to ask in a more serious tone.
"I'm here to read. Is it that hard to believe?" Ranma answered her honestly. He found the library fascinating and the most suitable hiding place from his would be fiancées.
"Yeah right." Nabiki replied back in a disbelieving tone.
"I'm serious." Ranma defended himself.
They then began to talk about what type of genres they enjoyed reading. Ranma then began to share how the day has been for him. Nabiki just laughed as Ranma narrated his day.
Of course Nabiki knew what happened to him. She had eyes and ears all over Furikan, and Nerima to be in fact. Still it was amusing hearing it from Ranma's point of view.
"And then she punted me to the Heavens." Ranma concluded.
"You know you shouldn't really encourage my baby sister like that, Ranma-kun." Nabiki advised him.
"What? Me? Encourage her? All I did was state the truth!" Ranma defended himself rather loudly earning him a "SHHH" from the librarian.
"You should really try and control that hole you call your mouth Saotome." Nabiki admonished.
"Trust you to be at her side." Ranma grumbled. Again earning a "SHHHH" from the librarian.
"I'm not trying to be in anyone's side. I'm trying to make you see it from her side. I'm not saying that Akane is being unreasonable, sometimes she does go too far but you have to understand, that it takes two to tango." Nabiki explained.
"I try being nice to her and what do I get? She sends me to LEO!" Ranma said as he shot up from his seat. Getting a little carried away.
"YOUNG MAN! THIS IS A LIBRARY! NOT A MALL OR A CAFÉ! IF YOU WISH TO CARRY ON LIKE THIS THEN GO OUTSIDE!" the Angry librarian reprimanded. Oddly enough, some more librarians popped up and "SHHHH" the angry librarian!
"I think we better go Saotome." Nabiki said as she watched the angry librarian's right eye twitch.
The two then went outside. Once outside, Nabiki couldn't help but laugh.
Ranma couldn't help but laugh with Nabiki. She had an infectious laugh. And he enjoyed seeing her like this. So carefree.
"Did you see the look on that librarian's face?" Nabiki said in between breaths.
"Did you see her go red when the other librarians' shushed her?" Ranma replied back. Laughing.
"Well we better head home then, before everyone gets worried." Nabiki said as she wiped some tears from her eyes.
"Yeah." Ranma agreed.
They then began to walk home together. Talking about inconsequential things.
Ranma couldn't help but feel happy after talking with the middle Tendo. Normally he dreaded spending time with her. But now it felt different. He actually enjoyed talking to her.
For the next couple of weeks, Ranma and Nabiki had gradually grown closer.
They would sometimes meet after school at the library, spending some time there before going home. At first everything seemed to run smoothly, until Akane began to take notice.
Akane waited for them at the gate of the Tendo house one time after school. She still wore her school uniform.
"Where have you two been?" Asked Akane rather suspiciously as she looked at Ranma from head to toe first before sparing a glance at her sister.
"School." Ranma answered. His mood suddenly became low as he saw where this conversation was headed.
"School finished an hour ago." Akane pointed out. Her anger slowly rising. She then began to tap her feet. Expressing her annoyance. Her arms crossed on her chest.
"Akane…" Ranma began to explain only to be cut off.
"YOU WERE WITH THOSE HUSSIES AGAIN WEREN'T YOU!" Akane accused. Not listening to Ranma.
Akane's aura grew to bright red, before she summoned her mallet, about to hit Ranma. Momentarily forgetting that her sister was there.
Nabiki quickly intervened as she stepped in front of Ranma. Stopping her sister's onslaught.
Akane's mallet froze within inches of Nabiki. Seeing her sister, made her stop. Snapping her back to reality.
"Nabiki?" Akane said confused.
Nabiki wanted to faint. That was really close. She wasn't even sure why she stepped in the line of fire. Then she remembered that Ranma was going to take a beating that he didn't earn nor deserved. Ordinarily this wouldn't have bothered her. But lately it has.
"Akane, Ranma was with me at the library." Nabiki explained. She was amazed how calm her voice sounded when she was shaking inside.
Akane scoffed.
"Don't be absurd Nabiki! Why would Ranma be at the library?" Akane asked. Bewildered why Ranma would really be in the library. Then thousands of things rushed in her head. All of them Ranma was doing perverted things with some girl or another in the library.
Nabiki easily read the look on her sister's face and really wanted to slap some sense into her sister, but decided against it.
"I was helping Ranma with his homework." Nabiki lied.
Akane looked at her sister and then at Ranma.
Ranma just stood there. Unable to decipher what had happened and quite stunned that he wasn't sent to LEO yet.
Akane figuring Nabiki wasn't a person who would lie. Decided to believe her story and stalked back inside the house and headed straight to the dojo to take off some of her aggressions on the practice dummies.
Ranma couldn't believe what had just happened. Nabiki actually defended him and lied to her own sister. Something the Middle Tendo was not known for. Nabiki would twists the truth from time to time but she never outright lied to anyone. Nabiki had that policy, honesty is the best policy thing. It was such a shock.
Before Ranma could ask why the middle Tendo did such a thing, Nabiki began to head inside the house. Without a second glance to him.
So Ranma just stood there outside the Tendo Home. Looking lost and confused.
Author's Notes:
Well I hope you all like this. Not long now till I wrap this up. Lol.
Please review and tell me what you think.
Are Ranma and Nabiki going to hook up soon?
And am I going to make them get some lip action anytime soon?
All this and more so please stay tuned.
Ja Ne,
(",)