A sound resembling a snore awakens me with a start.

But I'm not that awake, per se. At least, I'm half-asleep enough to roll over and put an arm around my wife and still notice in the back of my mind that her breasts had shrunk. An odd thing to notice, but significant enough to cause me to open one eye. Ginchiyo's jaw had become more square in the night, and her features had become much more chiseled, not to mention the fact that she had acquired a terrible need for a shave. Is that a... Carnivine she's cuddling up to? It must have noticed the vibrations, and it looks at me with droopy eyes, extending a tendril-like root around whatever I had mistaken for my wife.

I blink twice and glance down once more at—shit. Magoichi. God damn it, I am beyond done.

I stifle a sigh, get up, and sigh anyway. Nene's arrangements for the rooms were pitiful. The only two men sleep across the hall in one room, and the remaining four women separate out into the other rooms. You'd think that she'd allow me to sleep in the same room as Ginchiyo, but Nene won't have any of that, and since she's the team mom of sorts, well... nobody really argues. And if I do, I get grounded, and nobody wants to be grounded. As to reasoning, she said something about how we're in the middle of a war and sexual pursuits should be the last thing on anyone's mind. I'm sure she'd have a different opinion if Lord Hideyoshi decided to make an appearance. Alas, he's over in Valora, and we're stuck in a dilapidated Yakshian four-room shack with not enough room to even let your mind wander.

A brilliant plan forcing me to room with Magoichi, though, because for a straight, married man, sexual pursuits definitely get pushed to the back burner when you have a stubbly face nuzzling up against yours in the dark of the night. He snores. And he cuddles. A deadly combination. I nearly curse again, but I bite my tongue and instead walk off the disgust I feel towards recently feeling up Magoichi.

I glance up at Staraptor perched high up on a support beam in the corner of the room, sleeping soundly. It flicks its tail and gives a small sound. I smile. It must be dreaming. I wonder what about.

My eyes wander once more back to Magoichi, who splayed his limbs out every which way to take up all the room on the bedding we're forced to share due to space constraints. At this point, I would rather sharpen chopsticks and stick them in both my eyes than deal with Magoichi, so I hop over his foot, fighting back the urge to kick it, and slowly open the creaky door, shutting it behind me as quietly as I could and waiting until I was outside the room to grumble my frustrations aloud.

Nene... I'm going to risk getting grounded. I'm sleeping with my wife. I'm past caring about whatever penalty you're going to stiff me with.

I quietly creep past the rooms; Kai and Ina share one of the smaller of the 4 rooms, and I half-expect them to still be awake trying to be comfortable, but the doorless entrance reveals the girls huddled up to each other, leaning onto Darmanitan, whose arms envelop the girls like a blanket. The fire-types always have really warm fur; it's like sleeping on a heating pad. Even Empoleon leans up against Darmanitan. Ina presses her face into the skin of Kai's shoulder and sighs, and Kai hugs her tighter. How is this not awkward for either of them? Women are strange specimens.

I reach the end of the hall and peek into the room there, and am met with the sight of a yawning Luxray curled up peacefully in the corner. Ginchiyo is on the opposite end (considering the size of the room, that's not saying much. I could lie on my back and spread my arms and be touching all four walls at the same time), asleep. But... something's not right.

Ginchiyo restlessly tosses and turns on the ground, an indescribable expression of terror on her face. Between her turns, she'd make almost pained yelps; her movements don't stop—even those fleeting moments when she remains still, her body is wracked by tremors that never seemed to ebb. I wrinkle my brow. She's never like this when she's sleeping with me. A pang of guilt strikes me in the chest; maybe if I had been here, such a strong, valiant warrior as Ginchiyo Tachibana wouldn't have been reduced to such a pitiful sight as this. It is truly painful for me to watch her.

I take a silent step into the room and crouch down near her, debating on whether waking her up would be the right thing. The tears beginning to stream down her face are the final straw—I can't let her go through this anymore. I lean over, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Ginchiyo...?" I whisper. No response. The shaking continues, and my hand tightens its grip on her shoulder, my other hand touching her cheek. I lean closer. "Ginchiyo...!" I say louder.

Ginchiyo jolts awake. "No!" she screams, her body stiffening, slowly giving way to heavy, shaky breaths interspersed with almost agonized moans, as she curls her knees into her chest and leans against the wall. She slowly turns her head to look at me, and I back up to give her breathing room. Between huffs and puffs, she quietly tries to whisper my name. I notice her hand, still shaking, slowly reaching for me, and as if by reflex, I embrace her tightly, trying desperately to reassure her that it was only a bad dream. Her hands grip the cloth on my back, and her shoulders heave in heavy sobs into my chest. "I... you..." she begins twice, and fails to finish both times.

God, has she eaten? Her blood sugar... I remember that I never made sure that she ate before bed that night. The thought that the weak and shriveled creature in my arms may be my fault causes another bolt of guilt to strike my heart and nearly stop it. I had one job. I almost ask her if she had eaten, but I know I won't get an answer. I just hug her tighter, and rub her back, and tell her everything is okay, because that's all I can do. She simply buries her face, wet with a muddle of sweat and tears, into my chest and sobs. I've never felt so helpless.

After what seems like an eternity, Ginchiyo's violent sobbing slowly ebbs away into a few tears still falling from her eyes. I wipe them away with my thumb. She slumps into me, exhausted from her breakdown, and doesn't say a word. We sit there for a moment, before I break the silence. "Are you alright, my love?"

"I... I don't know..." she breathes, her voice strained.

"I think you'll be okay, my dear," I try to offer a reassuring smile, but I was disturbed so greatly by what I had just witnessed, it fell flat. "It was a bad dream, wasn't it? Just a dream." I stroke her shoulder with my hand, and she falls further into me.

"It felt so real," whispers Ginchiyo, and she takes my hand in both of hers for comfort. "I... I was so scared."

Something isn't right. She would never say those words. I grow more worried by the minute. "Ginchiyo..."

"I don't remember much, but... I thought..." she trails off, biting her bottom lip.

"You thought what...?" I probe gently.

"I... I had a dream that I lost you."

I pause. My heart, my brain, the blood pumping through my veins, everything, just stops right there.

"The way you lost your father," she continues. "You were right next to me, and then, all of a sudden, I saw a spray of blood, and it was all over me, and you were on the ground, and... and I..." she hugs me, and I can't not hug her back.

"Try to forget about it, okay?" I cup her face in my hand and draw a finger up to make her look at me. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Ginchiyo attempts a halfhearted smile, and I give one back, equally if not more lethargic. I can tell by her unchanging expression that it either didn't help or went unnoticed. I would bet money on the former. "I... I'm sorry," I sigh. "I just don't know what to say—"

"No," she interrupts me, a fraction of her former intensity returning to her voice. "No, just... god, please don't apologize. Just don't apologize, okay?" Her voice breaks again. My heart pounds as I gently take her and steady her in my arms as she clutches to me, her breath heavy once again. "I must have been loud enough to wake you and cause you to come in here anyway... so it's my fault. Just... just forget it, okay? I just..." she stammers. Her face trembling against my chest, the next words from her mouth are the last I expect from the great, ferocious warrior I know as my wife.

"I love you, okay? I do. So just... stop pitying me. Let me cry just this once."

I don't know how to respond. This seems to be a theme tonight. I simply remain silent as she goes on.

"I know you've been talking about leaving, and going on this grand adventure, but you can't go away. I'm begging you. Please, god, just don't go away. I love you, so please..." her voice broke once again and her shoulders stiffened as she gripped the kimono on my chest as tightly as she could. So this whole thing, the nightmares, the crying, all of it. It was my fault. I hug her as tightly as I could, burying my face in the top of her head. It occurs to me that Ginchiyo, an orphan, an only child... I'm all she has. And I was thinking of leaving her alone for something as inconsequential as seeing the world. I truly am a bastard.

My emotions flicker from surprise to sorrow, but there is an underlying feeling of deep gratitude towards her; it's a strange mish-mash of feelings, and I can't muster a reaction to work through them other than a sigh. "I said I'm not going anywhere, okay? I want to see you smile again." A second's silence, and she gathers her strength to pull back and look me in the eye. "I love you, too," I add. "With all my heart." I finally manage to give her a half-real smile that seems somewhat comforting. Funny, I just feel like pond scum. I mean to say something else to her, but I cut myself off as I feel her fingers trail gently through my hair, strangely soft and delicate as opposed to her usual vigor and passion. They slowly ghost downwards to trace the contours of my face, and her palm finally settles on my cheek.

It takes a moment for her to speak. "Thank you, Muneshige," she forces a smile. "You don't know how relieved I am to hear that." For a moment, I'm speechless. I'm usually so good at things like this. All I can do is bend down my head and place a tender kiss on her forehead.

I finally sigh again. "We're just a couple of fools, aren't we."

A slight smile draws up the corners of her lips even a little bit, and even that makes me feel a little better. "...Yes, we are," she says quietly. "But I'm fine with that." She leans towards me, and her soft lips brush over mine for one fleeting moment, and she breaks off with a faint smile, an obviously fake one, but a smile nonetheless. She doesn't believe me, and she might as well have just torn a hole in my heart.

Ginchiyo... why don't you believe me? Can't you just trust someone, just this once?

I take her hand in mine, and my eyes close as we kiss again, this time with both of us meeting the other. She soon wraps her arms around me and holds my body tightly against hers as our lips slide in an even, steady rhythm. My hand tangles in the hair at the nape of her neck, and I can feel her heartbeat through our clothes; it's usually so quick when we kiss, consumed with passion, but for now, her heart beats at a slow, nearly lethargic tempo. It's a change of pace I'm not used to, but one that I find myself matching. She makes a small sound and pushes me back against the wall with her body, and I follow her lead, my hands trailing down her body and resting on her slim waist. It all seems mechanical to me this time, nothing like usual. She is truly not herself.

I pull back, breaking the kiss. "Ginchiyo, wait..."

"What is it...?" she meets my eyes with hers, and I notice an almost soullessness about them, as if she's completely given up. As if kissing me has become a simple formality; she's doing this to make me feel better, to give me the illusion that me comforting her is actually working.

"This isn't right," I finally breathe, moving my hands from her waist to holding her hands in mine. "I can't do this if you're not going to believe me." Her brow wrinkles, and she shrinks as if I had just slapped her. "Ginchiyo, have I ever lied to you?"

Ginchiyo's gaze remains blank and steady. "I believe you." She moves to kiss me again, but I hold her back.

"Then why aren't you your usual self? I'm worried about you." Ginchiyo doesn't respond. She simply hangs her head and slouches against the corner of the room, completely silent. Nothing in this room is real, nothing reassuring except the thick cloud of depression that hangs over both of us. I can't do this anymore. "I'll prove it to you. Somehow, I will. I swear on everything I have ever believed in that I'm not going anywhere. What do I have to do?" My voice raises uncharacteristically, and she seems unfazed. She doesn't even look at me.

"I don't know," she mumbles. "But for now, I just... I want you here."

I should be offended, but I'm not. I scoot over next to her, and lay my head down on one side of the pillow. "Then here I am." I extend an inviting arm toward her, and she silently lays next to me, pressing her back to my chest. I curl an arm around her and touch my forehead to her head, inhaling the scent of her hair. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, nuzzling closer to me. "Do you want to talk about something...?" I venture.

"It's been happening a lot." She mutters under her breath, but loud enough for me to hear.

"What has?"

"That... dream."

I'm once again at a loss for words. All I can say is her name. We both pause for a moment, until Ginchiyo starts throwing out mumbled "um"s and "ah"s, trying to figure out how to phrase her next sentence. I remain silent in anxious wait.

"I, um... I've just been worried, I guess... which is sort of surprising, considering, well, you know me. I'm not usually a worrier, so I'm not used to the feeling. And along those lines, there's really no reason for it to have gotten this bad," she continues, and I listen intently, secretly relieved that she had finally decided to open up. "I always say that a Tachibana lives in the moment, and shouldn't worry about the future. But when I heard rumors that you were going to leave, I started worrying." Ginchiyo rolls over and puts an arm around me, nuzzling her face into my shoulder. "At first I told myself they were only rumors with no merit, but as time went on, I got more and more scared. And yet I was a fool." She pauses for a moment.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I let it fester. I never admitted to it, because my ego told me to let it sit, and not talk about it. So I didn't. And it manifested itself in terrible nightmares. I've woken up with that same dream three times." She draws a tender hand up to brush a lock of hair out of my face, and held my cheek in her hand. Three times. We've spent three nights away from home with Nene's separate sleeping arrangements. My concern for my wife is clouded over by anger.

Damn it, Nene. I needed to be with her. Those first two times, she was all alone. I can't begin to imagine how traumatic that must have been. Had I only known..."Ginchiyo," I begin. "I'll stay with you every night, if that's what you want. I don't care what Nene says." She doesn't respond. She only smiles. A faint smile, one I would never have noticed had I not been looking for it, but a real one. Despite how small that smile was, it filled me with the greatest relief and happiness that I've felt in a long time.

Ginchiyo lets out a giggle for a brief moment. "Muneshige, you're smiling like an idiot."

A laugh escapes me. "Am I? I didn't notice," I fib, hugging her tighter. I move my face near hers, and she reciprocates the motion. Our lips meet again for a brief moment, a light touch. After precious seconds, we part, and Ginchiyo rests her head on my chest, and we remain still in that position for what seems like hours. Finally, she looks up at me.

"You really shouldn't be here. Nene will have a fit."

"I told you I'm staying."

"I'll be okay. Really. That was simply a moment of weakness." Ginchiyo clears her throat. "Magoichi is waiting for you, I'm sure, and I know you don't want Nene to find out you've been in here." she teases, stifling a laugh.

I frown. "Why, what will she do? Take away my hairbrush?"

"I've been grounded by Nene before. It wasn't fun. She knows what all your favorite foods are."

"And?"

"And she'll make all of them and serve them to everybody, and then she'll give you rice. Just straight rice. She made curry and umeboshi once and didn't let me eat any of it. It was awful."

There is a pause. That does sound terrible. If there were peppered Sawsbuck on the table and I couldn't eat it, I'd throw a fit. I sit up and glance down at Ginchiyo. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

She shoots me a light scowl intermixed with a smirk. "A moment of weakness, Muneshige. I'll be fine."

I sigh. "Well, then, in that case... I suppose I'm going to have to return to my marriage bed with Magoichi." The idea provoked a giggle from Ginchiyo, which she tried to hide by touching her fingers to her lips.

"You'd do well to try not to pleasure him too much. He seems like he'd be a screamer," she teased, holding back laughter.

"That joke wasn't even close to funny."

"Really? I thought it was hilarious."

I ruffle Luxray's fur before walking out the doorway with a "see you in the morning."

Ginchiyo's voice stops me in my tracks. "Muneshige...?" I poke my head back in the door. Ginchiyo stares down at the floor, her cheeks touched pink. She always looks cute like that. "Actually... um... can I... change my mind?" she twiddles her thumbs and finally glances up at me, scooting over on the bedding to give me room. I give her a broad smile.

Okay, so before I get harped on about the blood sugar line, historically, Ginchiyo Tachibana was diabetic, and reading that hypoglycemia can cause really terrible night terrors was what inspired me to write this.

Muneshige's obsessive need to take care of her and keep her healthy in that regard is total headcanon and a half, but I think it fits really well with his personality, so I just stuck it in, ahaha. Hope you guys enjoyed this.