{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}

The return to school was difficult. The students and teachers knew what had happened. They all knew Kodachi was in a hospital and wouldn't be getting out for a long time and that Tatewaki had been in a hospital too. And, of course, they all knew about the baby.

He had gone over to the Tendo's early to walk Nabiki to school. He was greeted coolly by Kasumi and Soun refused to acknowledge him.

"Good morning, Tate-chan," Nabiki greeted as she came down the stairs. She was carrying the baby and presented him to Tatewaki. "Say good morning to daddy, Tatchi."

Tatewaki took the baby and held him close. He kissed the baby's forehead. "Good morning, Takuma," he said quietly, looking at the face of his child. He handed little Takuma to Kasumi, who took him without a word.

"I just need to get my lunch and then I'll be ready to go," Nabiki said, walking into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sempai."

"Good morning, Akane. Is Ranma ready? He doesn't want to be late again."

"I'm coming already. It's not like you two try to keep your voices down when you talk about me," Ranma complained, bounding down the stairs.

"Here's lunch, everyone," Nabiki announced, coming out of the kitchen with three lunches.

"Great." Ranma snatched his lunch from Nabiki's hands.

"Thanks Nabiki." Akane took her own lunch.

"I think we're ready to go," Nabiki said, slipping on her shoes.

"Yeah. You know Ranma can't afford to be late another day," reported Akane.

"Thanks for the reminder. We all know you're so perfect..." Ranma rolled his eyes, missing the incoming foot.

***

Akane and Ranma walked ahead, trading their usual banter. Nabiki and Tatewaki walked next to each other in silence. She reached down and took hold of his hand, smiling softly.

"When do you think they'll figure out they like each other?" she whispered to Tatewaki.

"They already know, they just won't admit it," he whispered back.

"So... When do you think..."

"I don't know if they keep acting like this. Probably never."

Nabiki looked at Tatewaki. "Not them, Tate-chan."

He stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at Nabiki. "You mean you want to..."

She nodded, smiling. "I think I've had enough time to figure out what kind of person you are. It's one I like a whole lot. He's intelligent, sweet, good looking, caring and he loves his son. And I love him."

Ranma and Akane both jumped when they heard Tatewaki's shout of joy from behind them. They turned to see Nabiki and Tatewaki hugging.

"What's up with them?" Ranma asked.

Akane shrugged.

***

When the couple got to school, they received hostile stares and saw the backs of their classmates. Not that they cared. They walked hand in hand to class, unconcerned with the narrow view society took on their situation.

"I don't want your family to hate me. Even Kasumi dislikes me."

"It's the circumstances. They just don't understand. And they don't really know what happened."

"I'm not so sure myself. A lot of people tell me it's not my fault, but I can't help but think how awfully I treated you."

She put her hand on his cheek. "All in the past, Tate-chan."

"Oh, Tate-chan. Isn't that sweet?" came a sneering voice from behind them.

The couple turned to face a group of young men, all mocking them. "Drop dead, you jerks," Nabiki said, angry at their ignorance.

"Whoa... The slut speaks. I'm surprised to find you without a dick in your mouth." All the boys laughed.

Nabiki's eyes narrowed, her anger peaking. "Why don't you guys just leave us alone and mind your own business?" Tatewaki said, keeping his cool.

"Oh, this is good. The rapist is giving us life advice? Gee, does this mean I can have a piece of your girlfriend?" The young man stepped close to Nabiki. A little too close.

Tatewaki grabbed the younger student's shirt and flung him to the side. "Back the fuck off," Tatewaki commanded, taking a defensive posture.

"Fuck you, you psycho. Everyone knows about you and your sister and your little whore. You've got a lot of nerve putting your hands on me." He got into his own fighting stance. "You want a fight, I'll wipe the ground with your ass any time."

"Come on." Tatewaki beckoned the young man forward with one finger.

The young man rushed Tatewaki, who sidestepped and delivered a numbing blow to the base of the man's spine. The young man dropped like a bag of rocks, screaming at the shock.

"Shut up. You'll get feeling back in your legs in a few minutes. Next time, you won't get it back at all." Tatewaki turned to Nabiki. "Let's go." He took her arm and led her away from the gathering crowd.

Everyday, it was the same. There was always someone there to make fun of them. Someone to call them names and tease them about something they knew nothing of. And every day, the two of them had to suffer it.

***

"Maybe we should just leave. Get out of here and start someplace else. This type of thing is pretty normal in America..."

Tatewaki gave her a sour look. "Like my father? Run away from our problems? Do you think that will make them better?"

"But they're not problems. We don't have any problems. That's what I'm saying. None of this is our fault; we can't change how other people perceive us." She smiled and put her arm around him. "How's your English anyway?"

He put his arm around her but couldn't return her humor. Leave? But he had grown up there, lived all his life there. It was also where he had some of the worst experiences of his life. His mother, his father, his sister... His own descent into madness... Maybe leaving wouldn't be too bad.

"We don't have to stay away forever. Just for a little while." Nabiki found the more she talked about it, the more she liked the idea. "I bet we could stay with your father in Ha..."

"No! If we leave, I want to get away from everything that put me into that hospital. My father, my sister, Sasuke, Furinkan, that house... Nothing but bad memories. I'm tired of not having any good memories."

"All right, Tate-chan. We can do whatever you want to." She knew he would give in eventually. He hated it, he hated living in Nerima. And she knew he hated the people talking about them, making fun of them, whispering about her.

She leaned her head on his chest. "I think it's time we had a talk with my family. I think it's time to clear the air, get everything in the open..."

He nodded, frightened at the prospect of having to explain his actions to her sisters and father. "That scares me."

"It shouldn't. They won't do anything. The worst that will happen is that they won't be convinced and nothing will change. The best, though," she said, kissing his nose. "Is that they'll understand and accept you. And then we'll be one happy family."

"I hope so..."

***

"Dad, Kasumi. We have something we want to talk to you about." Nabiki saw Akane and Ranma in the yard sparring. It consisted mostly of Ranma dodging thrown objects and avoiding the pond. "Akane, Ranma! I think you two should hear this too," she called.

They all gathered around the table to listen to what Nabiki and Tatewaki had to say.

"You start, Tate-chan. Tell them about your sister."

Tatewaki looked at Nabiki, a touch of fear in his eyes. He took one shaky breath and began. "It started over 10 years ago when my mother died."

          LOTS OF TALKING LATER...

"And that was when I finally got out of the hospital and came straight here. Ranma told me everyone was at the hospital for the birth, so I went there and that's where I proposed." Tatewaki exhaled heavily and tried to get his hands to stop shaking.

Kasumi and Akane both had tears in their eyes. "Oh Tatewaki-kun. I'm sorry, I didn't know," Kasumi said and gave him a hug.

"Soun had softened considerably. "I'm sorry we misjudged you. But you have to understand..."

"No, you don't need to apologize. I'm the one that should apologize for how much I've hurt your family."

Ranma looked at Tatewaki with new found respect. Hell, if he and Nabiki could fight through their problems, Ranma could deal with his. He looked at Soun, ready to tell him the engagement was off when he saw Akane's face. She was crying, but smiling too. 'Damn,' he thought and kept silent.

***

"Tate-chan, I don't know if I can do this."

"Do you want to try? If you're not comfortable, we can stop."

"I... I guess I can try. I don't know how well things are going to go."

"It doesn't matter. As long as we get you comfortable so you can feel better about..." He trailed off, a bit embarrassed.

Nabiki nodded, hoping he was right.

"I hope you don't think I'm pushing you into this. I don't want to do this if you don't. I just thought we might want to try now, instead of waiting for the honeymoon."

She nodded again. She was so nervous, but she knew she had to try it sooner or later. She was torn between really wanting to explore his body and intense fear. She stood silently, waiting for Tatewaki to do something first.

He stood in front of her, smiling gently. "I just want you to remember that I love you." He kissed her forehead. "OK, here I go."

He took her in his arms, just holding her, letting her get comfortable for a few moments. He lowered his head, his breath tickling her skin, and kissed her neck. She put her arms around him and stroked his back, a little excited, a little afraid of the contact.

Tatewaki moved his head around and kissed her passionately. After all, it was the only way he knew how to do things. Nabiki responded, basking in the feeling, but there was a niggling in the back of her mind. Had she hooked the latch on her door? She couldn't remember.

The nagging wouldn't stop, so she pulled back from Tatewaki. "The door... Is the door..." She was very out of breath. "Is it latched?"

Tatewaki looked over to see the hook down, keeping the door closed to visitors. "Yes it is."

"What about the window? Ranma likes to..."

Tatewaki looked over at the window. It was closed and the curtains were shut. "Closed up tight."

"Oh. Good." Was she really concerned with the door and window or was she just stalling? "Tate-chan... I'm scared."

He looked in her eyes, angry at himself, angry at his sister. "Do you want to stop?"

She shook her head. "I'm just scared."

"It won't be anything like before, I promise. I only want to make you..." Nabiki hoped he wouldn't say 'feel good'. "Happy."

"I'm scared I won't be able to forget. I love you and want to make you happy too. I'm scared I won't ever be able to..."

"Don't ever think that. You make me happy everyday just being here."

She barely nodded, then, with all her willpower, began unbuttoning his shirt. As his well-defined chest and stomach came into view, she felt her fear dissipate a little. She put one hand on his pectoral muscle and ran it down his skin to his stomach, watching it carefully. Then she pushed his shirt back off his shoulders and watched it fall to the floor.

Nabiki looked back to his naked torso. He was so perfect, she just couldn't understand why he frightened her. She touched the button on his pants briefly before moving her hand back to his waist. She shook her head. "I can't. I can't do it myself."

"Do you want me to? I can do mine or I can do yours."

"I... I don't know what to think or do."

"Here, give me your hands." He took her hands in his, holding them gently, and guided them to the button. While still holder her hands, he undid the button himself.

She watched his hands worked, fascinated by his progress. They moved to the zipper and slowly pulled it down. They they seperated the two flaps to reveal his shorts.

Nabiki tried to pull her hands away at the sight of them, but Tatewaki held them tightly. He moved them up to his sides and placed them there, then he put his hands on her waist. "Was that so bad, bijin?"

"No..." She felt the warm skin of his sides, the ribs tucked beneath a layer of muscle, the scar on his side. "I want to, Tate-chan. I want to so bad, but..."

"So you want to stop?"

"Yes... No..." She seemed to straightened. "No."

"Then I'll start on you now, OK?"

Nabiki nodded, preparing herself for the sensations. First it was his hands sliding up and down her hips. Then they undid the two button of her shirt. They slipped down her chest with a feather-like touch until they reached the bottom of her shirt. He lifted it slowly, giving her a chance to stop him if she wanted.

'Well this isn't so bad,' she thought. 'I can do this.' She lifted her arms above her head so Tatewaki could remove the shirt.

He pulled it off and draped it over the back of the chair at her desk. He looked at her, still clad in a thin, white undershirt that didn't hide a whole lot. He lowered her arms and touched her face, amazed at the innocence it held. "I love you," he repeated.

"I love you." She put her arms all the way around him, working up the courage to do more. She waited a few seconds after he put his arms around her before she dropped her hands to the waist of his pants. She put her hands into his pants and pushed them down, sliding them down past his thighs . Finally, they fell to the floor on their own.

She put her hands on his rear and squeezed. It was the first time she had ever touched him sexually, the first time she had seen him in anything less than swim trunks. Except for that time...

His hands pulled the undershirt from her pants and worked their way underneath it. Nabiki froze for a moment, then he was kissing her neck again and she relaxed.

'This is my fiancee, I can do this. This is my fiancee, I WILL do this,' she repreatedly told herself. It was all she could do to keep herself from pulling away when he lifted her shirt.

She removed her hands and lifted her shaking arms. Soon she was left in her bra and gold necklace. She lowered her arms, feeling incredibly self-conscious.

"More?" Tatewaki asked.

Nabiki nodded, avoiding looking below his waist. She knew he was aroused, but didn't think she would be able to do what he wanted to do.

He started on her pants, undoing the button and lowering the zipper. He stopped before he pulled them down, seeing her frame shake. He touched her face again, never tiring of its softness.

Nabiki put her hands on his shoulders, staring in his eyes. He pushed her pants down until gravity took hold of them. The two looked at each other, dressed only in their undergarments.

Nabiki shuddered once, then again and threw herself into Tatewaki's arms. "I'm sorry, Tate-chan. I can't." She buried her face in his chest, tears in her eyes. "I just can't."

Tatewaki held her close, not sure he could ever get her comfortable with the idea of being intimate with him. "Why don't we just go to bed, bijin?"

She nodded against him and let him lead her to her futon. He pulled back the covers and let her get comfortable . Then he switched off the light and laid down next to her, pulling the blankets up around them.

She got close to him, resting her head on his shoulder and laying her arm across his chest. "I'm sorry, Tate-chan."

"Don't be sorry. Just go to sleep..."

***

Kasumi knocked on the door. "It's time to get up. You don't want to be late for school." No answer. She knocked again. "Wake up." Still nothing so she opened the door.

She held back her wake up call when she saw Nabiki and Tatewaki sleeping peacefully, tucked under the covers. Kasumi backed out of the room and closed the door.