I know there were a few people that were angry or upset about me quitting my Negima fic. Though it is only temporary. That's why I'm writing this Strawberry Panic fic for now. I'm writing this fic because the show made me so angry. I don't consider this to be on the same level as my Negima fic, but I hope you'll like it anyways. Now let's get started.
Disclaimer: I do not own Strawberry Panic. If I did the show would have turned out much different.
CHAPTER 1: Sickness of the Heart
The orange morning sun rose slowly in the sky, casting its soft orange glow over the forests of Ichigo-Sha. Morning drops of dew on the grass shown in the sun. Trees cast their shadows on three buildings in the middle of the forest. The three buildings were St. Miator, St. Spica, and St. Lilum academy for girls. The schools were very prestigious, each with their own methods on dealing with students. St. Miator, the oldest school of the three, put most of its focus on grades and test scored. St. Spica, the second oldest and rival of Miator, specialized in their grades and sports programs. The third school, St. Lilum, was much more laid back. They preferred to stay out of the rivalries and focused on their club activities the most. But for now, the focus is only on one of the schools.
The sun rose higher in the sky, chasing away the veil of shadows that engulfed St. Miator. Rays of the sun filtered through the curtains of a dorm room. In this particular room, a young girl was already going about her morning routine. Suzumi Tamao stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Tamao knew that she wasn't ugly, but she never really considered herself pretty either. Her indigo hair fell down past her shoulders, almost coming down to mid back. Her bangs hung down in front of her face and some thick locks of hair draped over her shoulders. Bright amethyst eyes stared back at her from the mirror. Tamao turned on the water in the shower and stripped off her clothes. While she waited, she decided to give herself a once over.
Tamao sighed and took in her body. She had very generous curves for a girl of her age. She knew this, but for some reason she never found it attractive. The fact that she was slightly on the skinny side didn't help her any. What was so attractive about a skinny girl, she never really understood that either. And of course there was that. Tamao rubbed the back of her head in a self-conscious manner. Sometimes she seemed to over think simple situations or problems. Her looks just happened to be one of those problems. Even though most other girls that knew her agreed that her looks were nothing to be ashamed of. Actually Tamao was a rather beautiful girl and it just wasn't her looks that made her beautiful. It was her personality. Her carefree personality drew others to her like a magnet. Anyone that knew Tamao knew that she was one of the sweetest girls that ever lived. If anyone ever had a problem she would listen to them and try to help them as best as she could, even if she didn't know that person. Tamao also happened to be very protective of the ones she cared about, making her the best friend a person could have.
A shiver ran down Tamao's back, making her jump. She leapt into the now steamy shower with a sigh. The hot water felt good on her dry skin and stressed muscles. Hot water poured down on her, alleviating some of the stress. Because even the most carefree people had stress. Like most girls her age, Tamao had fallen in love for the first time. She had fallen for her roommate, another girl. However that wasn't the problem. It wasn't abnormal for the girls of the three schools to become couples. No, the problem was that her roommate was in love with someone else. And not just anyone, she had fallen for Hanazono Shizuma, the Etoile of the three schools. The most beautiful, most loved and most popular of them all. Tamao sighed again as she worked her hair into a soapy lather. Deep inside Tamao knew that she had no chance against someone like Shizuma. All she could do now was support her roommate, like a good friend should.
Tamao finished her ablutions very slowly that morning. The more time that she spent in the shower the less stress she would have. At least that was the way that she figured it. After she was done she started to put on her uniform. Tamao was grateful that it was Friday so she would be able to get a break from wearing her uniform over the uniform. She put on the St. Miator uniform, making sure that there were no wrinkles. The uniform was a long black dress that fell down to her knees. The cuffs and collar of the dress were white and they were required to wear a green tie. Putting on the uniform was usually a two person job, but after living in the dorms alone for so long Tamao could do it easily. She tied her usual white bow into her hair. After making sure that she was presentable, she walked out of the bathroom.
Tamao scanned the room for signs of her roommate. After seeing no sign of the redhead she turned and looked at her bed. Her roommate was still asleep, with the covers over her body. Tamao giggled at the lump that she realized was her roommate. With a small amount of exuberance she leapt over to the bed.
"Nagisa-chan! It's time to wake up!" She called cheerfully. After getting no response, she knelt down at the side of the bed. "Na-gi-sa-chan." She whispered, poking the lump after each syllable. Once again she received no response from the girl. She pulled the covers from the bed to reveal her roommate. "Nagisa-chan it's time for you to get up. N-Nagisa-chan?"
Nagisa's shaking form turned over to look at Tamao. The bangs of her medium length red hair clung to her sweat soaked forehead. Her skin was pale with the exception of her slightly flushed cheeks. Nagisa's breathing was short and her entire body was drenched in a cold sweat. Tamao's face screwed up in concern for her roommate's condition.
"Nagisa-chan what's wrong?! Are you alright?!" Tamao cried in concern.
Nagisa's eyelids fluttered open, revealing auburn shaded eyes. The younger girl shook her head slowly. "I-I think I-I'm sick," she answered in a raspy voice.
Tamao took a handkerchief from her pocket and used it to wipe the sweat from Nagisa's forehead. "Hold still for a minute." Tamao brushed her bangs out of the way and placed her forehead against Nagisa's. "You're burning up!" She exclaimed, pulling back.
"I s-still think I can go to cl-class." Nagisa tried to get up but was gently forced back onto the bed by Tamao.
"Oh no you don't. You aren't going out in this weather, not like this. You're staying home from class today and I'm gonna take care of you!"
"B-but Tamao-chan's grades-"
"There are more important things than grades."
Nagisa looked into Tamao's purple eyes and gave her a small smile. "A-arigatou Tamao-chan," she whispered.
"No need to thank me. Now, you stay here while I go and get you a change of clothes."
Tamao grabbed a pair of blue pajamas and helped Nagisa change into them. After Nagisa was fully changed Tamao put her in her own bed. She would stay there until Tamao had the chance to change Nagisa's sweat soaked sheets. She came back and placed a cool washcloth on the redhead's forehead. There she stayed for a half an hour in almost total silence. The only sound was that of Nagisa's slightly labored breathing. Tamao didn't move once during the whole time. Finally the silence was broken by Nagisa.
"I-It hurts."
The words came out as a whisper and Tamao had to strain to hear them. She had a feeling that Nagisa wasn't talking about being sick. A few days ago Shizuma had invited Nagisa to visit with her at her villa. When she had come back from the trip, Nagisa was exhausted physically and emotionally. She was so upset that for the next day or so she wouldn't eat or sleep. All the poor redhead did was lie in bed and cry all day. After Tamao and some of their other friends threw a tea party, she thought that everything had gotten better. Perhaps she was wrong about that. Tamao placed her hand on Nagisa's cheek and smiled sadly.
"I know it does." She stroked the sick girl's cheek in an attempt to calm her down. Nagisa stooped fidgeting as much and lay relatively still. "I'm gonna try to find you some food. I promise I'll be right back. Okay?"
Nagisa nodded slightly to show that she was still listening. Tamao smiled and hurried out of the room. She quietly shut the door behind her and ran across the hall to knock on another door. There was a shuffling of footsteps and the door creaked open. The girl that answered was much taller than Tamao. She had short reddish purple hair in a pageboy cut. Sleepy blue eyes gave the girl the appearance of one that was always sleepy.
"Good morning Tamao-chan." The girl greeted with a yawn.
Tamao smiled and bowed slightly at the waist. "Good morning Mizu-chan," she greeted quietly. She knew that the girl in front of her hated to be addressed by her first name.
"What's the matter Tamao-chan? You seem upset," Mizushima observed.
"Y-yes! It seems that Nagisa-chan is really sick."
"Is she going to be okay?!"
Another girl suddenly appeared in the doorway. This one was around Tamao's height. She had thick brunette hair that came down into two braids that rested on her shoulders. Her eyes were a rich coffee brown that held a friendly glow about them.
"What's wrong with Nagisa-chan?" Chihaya asked worriedly.
"Um, she has a really high fever. I was wondering if you guys would watch her while I go bring her some food?"
"Of course we will! Come on Noriko-chan!" Chihaya grabbed Mizushima's hand and pulled her out of the door.
"I told you not to call me that!" The tall girl whined. "I hate that name."
"But Noriko is such a cute name!" Chihaya protested.
Noriko blushed and muttered something under her breath. Tamao always had the feeling that Chihaya was the only one that could use that name and not be turned into a target for Noriko's archery practice. All the same she smiled at the two girls and bowed in thanks.
"Arigatou Chihaya-chan, Mizu-chan!"
"No need to thank us." Chihaya waved Tamao off. "Nagisa-chan is our friend too."
"Right! I'll be back as soon as possible!" Tamao rushed off down the halls, her dress flowing out as she ran.
Chihaya waved to the girl until she passed around the corner. "I feel so bad for Tamao-chan. Nagisa-chan doesn't even notice her feelings." Her face dropped and she started to stare at the floor.
"She's not the only one," Noriko said quietly. Her gaze shifted to the brunette beside her.
"Did you say something?"
"N-no. Come on."
Noriko opened the door to their friends' room and walked in. Chihaya followed after the quiet girl with a confused expression.
After what seemed like forever Tamao finally reached the cafeteria. She quickly got in the long line, waiting impatiently for the line to progress. The blue haired girl hated not being beside her Nagisa-chan. Now that she was sick she hated to leave her side even more. While she tapped her foot impatiently, a second line opened up. Tamao tried to rush over to the second line but was knocked down by someone doing the same.
"Tamao-san? You seem to be in a rush this morning. Is there something wrong?"
Tamao looked up and found her staring into icy amber eyes. "Rokujo-sama?! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!"
"Don't worry about it." Miyuki helped Tamao to her feet and brushed herself off. "So why are you in such a hurry? And where is Nagisa-san?" She asked looking around.
"She's not feeling well. She's pale, sweaty and she has a pretty high fever. Anyways, I came to get her something to eat. Just some oatmeal in case she's feeling nauseous. I just don't want to be away from her too long." Tamao blushed and stared down at her feet.
Miyuki smiled at the younger girl. She felt bad for Tamao in so many ways and she wanted to help her. "Follow me."
Tamao walked away, leaving Tamao to blush in confusion. After processing the president's words she followed the older girl. Miyuki lead her two the back of the cafeteria and through a set of double doors. Tamao had never been in the kitchen before. The entire counter space of the kitchen was steel and just about every inch of it was clean. The floor was made up of white linoleum panels, same as the ceiling. Women in white aprons and hairnets were bustling around the kitchen, either preparing food or cleaning up. Some of the girls were rather young and may have been there for various reasons. Miyuki led her through the kitchen greeting various people along the way. Finally they found their way to where a young girl was stirring something in a metal pot.
"Yuka-chan!"
A black haired girl, maybe a year older than Tamao turned to look at them. When her eyes landed on Miyuki they shone brightly. "Miyuki-senpai! It's good to see you!"
"Good to see you too Yuka-chan." She smiled making the raven haired girl blush slightly. "Suzumi Tamao, this is Minimura Yuka. Yuka-chan is in the cooking club and she does this to help out."
"Don't lie to her Miyuki-senpai! You know I'm back here because I got caught out after curfew." Tamao giggled and Miyuki also laughed. Yuka crossed her arms over her chest and sniffed. "It's nice to meet you Suzumi-san, please call me Yuka."
"Yuka-chan? Call me Tamao please."
"Well now that were all caught up. What brings you two back here?"
"My roommate is very sick and I wanted to get her some food. Just a little bit of oatmeal in case she's feeling nauseous."
"You're just in luck," Yuka replied happily. She took a large spoon from the shelf above her and stuck it in the pot. She ladled a large amount of thick oatmeal into a plastic container. She placed a top firmly on the container. "This should keep it warm for quite awhile."
"Arigatou!" Tamao smiled happily and accepted the container.
"What symptoms does she have by the way?"
"Why?" Miyuki asked.
Tamao started ticking off the symptoms one by one. "She has a fever, paleness, and headaches."
"Here take these to." Yuka reached into a pocket in her apron and pulled out a couple of bags. In each bag were what appeared to be tealeaves? "Use this ginseng to reduce the fever and this lemon balm to help with the headaches and depression."
"This is great, thank you so much Yuka-chan!" Tamao accepted the leaves and put them in her pocket. "I have to get back now!"
"I'm going to stop by later and see how she's doing." Miyuki replied.
"Arigatou Rokujo-sama!"
"Call me Miyuki."
"Miyuki-senpai," Tamao said with a bow. She grabbed a tight hold on the container of oatmeal and rushed from the kitchen.
"How did you know that Nagisa-san might be depressed?" She turned around and found Yuka to be right in her face. The closeness of the other girl made her blush.
"I see eeeveeerrythiing," Miyuki said in a creepy tone.
Miyuki whacked her playfully on the back of the head and smiled. "Get back to work!" 'Good luck Tamao-chan.'
Tamao ran down the halls to her dorm room. By the time she actually managed to reach her room she was already out of breath. Tamao twisted the knob and walked into the room. Noriko and Chihaya were standing near Nagisa, talking in conspiratorial. Tamao closed the door, scaring the two girls slightly.
"Sorry," Tamao apologized. "How is she doing?"
"She fell asleep a couple of minutes ago," Chihaya whispered.
"I took her temperature. It's about 40.3 degrees," Noriko said with a frown. (A.N. I believe that 40.3 degrees Celsius is equal to about 104 degrees farenheit. Pretty high fever!)
Tamao frowned and glanced at the sleeping girl in concern. Nagisa's cheeks were still flushed and she was still breathing heavily. Noriko nudged Chihaya and motioned towards the door. "Are you going to stay with her?"
"Yes…I think that it's best."
"Okay, we have to go to class now. We'll stop by later to see how she's doing," Chihaya smiled.
"We'll take good notes for you," Noriko said with a nod. "Just take care of Nagisa-chan."
"I will. And thanks for all your help."
Tamao waved good bye to the girls and closed the door. She hurried into the mini kitchen in their dorm and put some water on the boil. She grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers and walked back into the room. She pulled the cover off of the oatmeal container and tasted it to make sure it wasn't too hot. After deciding that it was at the right temperature and delicious, she knelt down next to the bed.
"Nagisa-chan wake up. I have some food for you," she said, prodding the girl.
Nagisa moaned and glanced at Tamao through half lidded eyes. "I d-don't feel like e-eating. Can't I sleep?"
"I know that you want to sleep but you have to eat. You need to keep your strength after all."
Knowing that she wouldn't win, Nagisa sat up as best she could. She folded her hands in her lap and nodded. "Okay," she whispered.
Tamao took a spoonful of oatmeal and placed it in front of Nagisa's lips. Nagisa stared at the oatmeal, refusing to open her mouth. Tamao glared at her making her shiver slightly in fright. She opened her mouth and allowed Tamao to feed her the oatmeal.
"There. Now that's not so bad is it?"
"It tastes pretty good," Nagisa admitted.
Tamao fed her another spoonful of oatmeal and then another. A whistling sound from the kitchen announced that the water had come to a boil. "I need to go and prepare the tea. Try and eat some more okay," she said softly. She tucked a strand of hair behind Nagisa's hair behind her ear.
The redhead nodded and picked up the bowl. She took another bite of oatmeal to please her roommate. Tamao smiled and left her to prepare some of the tea. She grabbed a couple of cups and the ginseng leaves. After preparing Nagisa's tea she made some red tea for herself. She placed the cups on a tray with some sugar and other sweeteners. She carried the tray back to Nagisa and her face lit up with a smile. Half of the oatmeal was already gone.
"You must have been hungry," Tamao giggled. She set the tray of tea down on the work desk.
Nagisa downed another bite and placed her head back onto her pillow. "A-a little." She started coughing violently and Tamao jumped to her side. "I-I'm f-fine. Your n-not gonna eat?"
Tamao smiled. "I'm not really hungry. You go ahead." She walked back to the tray and poured a small amount of sugar into Nagisa's tea. "Here's your tea." She turned around and handed the cup of tea to the redhead.
Nagisa sipped at the tea and cringed. "Strong."
"Yes. But it will help your fever, so make sure that you drink it all."
Nagisa stared at Tamao's back and sighed. She was always such a burden to her roommate. Not only did Tamao have to teach her all about the schools but she had to take care of her as well. Nagisa hated being weak. She wanted to be stronger like Tamao. Most importantly she wanted to pat Tamao back for all the help she had given her.
"When is practice going to be over?" A young girl yawned in the evening sun.
She was average height with long ebony hair that came down to her mid back. Her listless pale brown eyes stared up at the sky through the almost bare tree branches. Her uniform was that of St. Spica's. A white jacket that looked like it belonged to a suit. A short white skirt that came down to mid thigh and a pair of black leggings to help against the cold. Over her uniform jacket she wore a much heavier black coat. The girl flipped a strand of hair over her shoulder and sighed. She was in her favorite spot skipping choir practice for what must have been the thousandth time.
It wasn't that she hated choir practice. In fact she loved to sing and was very good at it. Sometimes she just found the practices to be arbitrary. She knew the words to almost every song they sang and didn't need practice. She wasn't ace of the choir for no reason. In fact the only reason she stayed in chorus was because of a certain girl, her roommate Konohana Hikari. As corny as it sounded to her, she had fallen for Hikari the first moment she saw her. Hikari was beautiful. She had perfect curves, a pretty face, dazzling blue eyes and long golden hair. Hikari's sweet and innocent personality is what drew her in more than anything. She was a kind soul that would do anything to help others. A true angel.
Alas, she had no chance with Hikari, because she was in love with Ootori Amane, the star of Spica. Then again just about every girl in Spica admired Amane in one way or the other. Hikari just went a little beyond admiration. Somewhere in the back of her mind she hated Amane for taking Hikari away from her. Even though there was no fault on the part of the horse rider. The raven haired girl leaned back against the tree. The back of the chapel was the best place for her to release some stress; especially when her senpai in the choir decided to spring emergency practice sessions on them. She closed her eyes and decided to take a nap before her next class.
"Yaya-chan?"
The raven haired girl opened one eye to see who had called her. She found a pair of sapphire eyes staring down at her. "Hikari? What are you doing out here?"
Hikari sat down next to Yaya but kept a small distance from her. Yaya noticed this and sighed. It was probably due to the fact that she had placed a rather forceful kiss on the blond only a week or so ago. Hikari smiled at her roommate and best friend.
"You didn't come to practice today. Why?"
Yaya smiled slightly. "The practices are too conventional anymore. Besides I already know all the songs by heart." The more exact reason was that she wanted to give Hikari more space after what happened.
Hikari smiled happily at her friend. "Even the star of the team needs practice." She pulled her dark blue jacket tighter around her.
"Sorry but you know showing up to practice isn't something I'm interested in."
"What about classes? You've been skipping those lately to. Is something wrong?"
'After everything that's happened she still doesn't get it,' Yaya thought exasperatedly. "There's nothing that I want to talk to you about."
Hikari flinched and bowed her head. "Sorry."
Yaya sighed. She knew that she couldn't stay mad at the blond for long. "Don't worry about it."
There was a long moment of silence that was broken by a yawn from Hikari. "You've been staying up a lot recently. You should get some sleep."
"But we have class soon."
"I'll wake you up when it's time to go to class."
Hikari nodded and leaned back against the tree. Within in minutes she was asleep. All the nights that she spent catching up on the homework she missed while watching Amane practice had finally caught up to her. Yaya watched her roommate sleep with a soft smile. She returned her attention to her school bag as a way of distracting her from her thoughts. Soon she felt a weight on her shoulder and then her lap. Hikari's head slipped down onto her lap without waking up. Yaya blushed and looked down at Hikari uncomfortably. They hadn't been this close since that day.
Yaya smiled and placed her hand on Hikari's head. She leaned her own head back against the tree. She had no intention to wake the sleeping girl if she really needed the sleep. Yaya shrugged her jacket off and draped it over the curled up form of her friend. Her brown eyes fluttered closed and she was soon off in dream land as well.
By the time Yaya woke up the sun was already fading in the sky. She checked her watch with bleary eyes and started. She had slept for two hours and now their classes were over. Yaya looked down and found Hikari still sleeping. If she didn't wake the blond soon they would miss curfew.
"Hikari it's time to get up." She gave the blond a light shake but she barely stirred. Since that didn't work she would have to try something else.
I don't know what words I can say
The wind has a way to talk to me
Flowers sleep, a silent lullaby
I pray for reply
I'm ready
Yaya sang softly, causing the younger girl to stir. She twisted her hand into Hikari's hair and played with silky strands. She smiled and stared up at the sky. For so long she had wanted to do this with Hikari. Even if it meat nothing in the end and only lasted a second.
Quiet day calms me
Oh, serenity
Someone please tell me
Ohhmm, what is it they say
Maybe I will know one day
I don't know what words I can say
The wind has a way to talk to me
Flowers sleep, a silent lullaby
I pray for reply
I'm ready
Hikari's eyes fluttered open. She looked up and saw Yaya staring down at her with a soft smile. She jumped from having the other girl so close and pushed away from her. Yaya stared at her with a mixture of confusion and hurt.
"Yaya-chan! W-what are you doing?! And why is it so dark?!" Hikari looked down at the jacket around her and stared questioningly at Yaya.
"Um…you fell asleep in my lap. And I didn't want to wake you because you looked like you could really use the sleep. So I kind of went to sleep to," she admitted sheepishly.
"R-really?"
Yaya glared sadly at the ground and nodded. It was obvious that Hikari was still uncomfortable around her and didn't trust her. It broke her heart that her best friend could think she would do something to intentionally hurt her.
"We better be getting back," Hikari said quietly. She picked up her bag and shifted uneasily. "We're going to miss curfew."
Yaya reached a hand towards Hikari and the blond flinched back. Yaya glared at her and snatched her jacket off of Hikari's shoulders. "I'll catch up," she said angrily.
Hikari tried to say something but couldn't find the words. Instead she turned around and walked back towards the chapel doors. Yaya leaned back against the tree and buried her face in her hands. She cried softly, something that she hadn't done in quite some time. It was obvious to her that she and Hikari would never be friends again. At least not like they used to be. Yaya wiped her eyes and picked her bag up off of the ground. She never noticed the pair of eyes following her back to the church.
Tamao walked the path of the forests in the waning daylight. The sun had almost completely dropped behind the trees and curfew was close. She was just so angry over what she had been told only moments ago. Just as Miyuki had promised, she came by the room to check on Nagisa after her classes. Even Yuka had come along to see the sleeping girl. While they were there Tamao had heard something that made her furious.
Flashback
"How is she doing?" Miyuki asked.
Tamao glanced back and saw Yuka introducing herself to Nagisa. "Not too much different from this morning," she whispered. "By the way I wanted to thank you for bringing some food for us."
"No need to thank me. I know you have your hands full and wouldn't have much time to make any food."
"Well all the same it means a lot that you came by." Rokujo nodded sullenly. Tamao noticed and gave the older girl a small smile. "Is something wrong M-Miyuki-senpai." She still wasn't used to addressing the president of the student council in such a familiar manner.
Miyuki leaned against the wall and bit her lip. It was an old nervous habit that she had since she was a child. "I've been debating on whether or not I should tell you this."
"Tell me what?"
Miyuki waved for Tamao to come closer and she did so. "I told Shizuma about Nagisa-san."
Tamao stiffened slightly. "What did she say?"
"That's the thing. She didn't say anything. She just turned her back on me."
Tamao bristled angrily; her hands clenched into fists and started to shake. As much as she hated Shizuma right now, Tamao thought that the least the Etoile could do was visit. Too many people let the silver haired girl slide because of who she was. Tamao, on the other hand wasn't one of those people.
Flashback Ended
So here she was walking down the dirt path in search of the Etoile. She waited for Miyuki and Yuka to leave and Chiyo to visit. Tamao felt uneasy about leaving Nagisa in the hands of their slightly clumsy room temp. But this had to be done and she knew Chiyo would try her best. After what seemed like hours she found her destination. The Etoile's greenhouse. Tamao stopped out in front of the glass structure to steel herself. She took a deep breath and flung the doors open.
As soon as Tamao walked in she could see the object of her search. Shizuma stood not too far away from her, watering one of the plants. For a second Tamao stared at the silver haired young woman. She hated to admit it but the Etoile was rather pretty. The only difference between Tamao and the other girls in the school was that she wasn't attracted to Shizuma in any way.
"Staring is rude Tamao-san."
Tamao looked up and found the Etoile staring back at her with olive colored eyes. The glint in her eyes and the smirk on her face infuriated Tamao even more.
"Why haven't you come to see Nagisa-chan? It's your fault that she's like this anyways," Tamao said briskly. She was trying her best to keep her anger in check.
"I didn't know that I had the ability to make people sick."
"You know what I mean!" Tamao took another breath to calm herself.
"Well, I've been busy. Besides she has you to take care of her." Shizuma's calm tone never broke once.
"I thought that you coming to visit would make Nagisa-chan feel better. Because whatever you said to her really hurt her."
"…What do you plan to tell me next?"
Tamao's fists clenched and she glared at Shizuma. "If your intention, if all you're planning on doing is breaking her heart, I want you to stay away from her." Her tone of voice promised that she would defend Nagisa.
"I admire you for being to speak your mind to me. Not many can. But you know that I can't abide your request. Now let me ask you something." Shizuma stepped up and gripped Tamao roughly around her waist. She put another hand on Tamao's cheek and pulled her closer. She leaned in slowly to kiss Nagisa. "How are you going to protect her? When you can't even protect yourself."
Tamao stiffened and she blushed slightly. "Etoile-sama…"
Just as Shizuma's lips were about to touch Tamao's, something happened that she didn't expect. Using all of her strength Tamao pushed Shizuma away and slapped her sharply across the cheek. Shizuma stared at Tamao in mild shock.
Tamao glared at Shizuma with pure hatred. "You have the respect and love of all the students in this school. But I have no love fore you and at this moment no respect. Your actions are reprehensible on my eyes. And I am not like these other foolish girls that have fallen for your charms." Her gaze hardened considerably. "Stay away from Nagisa-chan. And don't ever touch me again."
Tamao turned on her heel and marched out of the greenhouse. A great swell of pride and self-satisfaction swelled inside of her. She had managed to resist the Etoile, a feat that very few have managed. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice they had an audience.
Miyuki had heard and seen everything through the glass walls of the green house. She leaned against the outer wall, a bright smile on her face. "So there is someone immune to you. We may have found the golden child." Her eyes followed Tamao's retreating back with pride. "Strange that I feel so proud of her." She shrugged and walked to the doors of the greenhouse, prepared to act like she had seen nothing. But was unable to wipe the smile from her lips.
"I'm glad that you finally came back Tamao-onee-sama." Chiyo replied.
Tamao smiled at the little first year. After what happened in the greenhouse, a great deal of stress had been lifted from her shoulders. She had gotten in trouble for missing curfew but it was well worth it.
"How's Nagisa-chan doing?" She looked at Nagisa from the doorway of the kitchen.
"Her fever has gone down to 38.5. Still high but it's gotten better."
"Good! Now all we have to do is get it back to normal. Thank you for watching her Chiyo-chan."
"Of course. Do you need anything else before I leave?"
"No. Go and get some rest you deserve it." Tamao smiled at the girl's eagerness to help.
Chiyo bounded over to Nagisa to say her goodbyes. She stared for quite awhile at the redhead. Normally Tamao would have been a little jealous if someone had a crush on Nagisa. Though she suspected that Chiyo's crush was admiration more than anything. After the young 'maid' was done saying her goodbyes, Tamao walked her to the door.
"Please take good care of Nagisa-onee-sama!" Chiyo said with an exuberant bow.
Tamao chuckled and patted her on the head. "Of course I will. We'll see you tomorrow then?"
Chiyo nodded. She took one last look at Nagisa and waved goodbye Tamao. Once she was gone Tamao closed the door behind her. She turned around and saw that Nagisa was fast asleep. She grabbed a pair of her pajamas and went into the bathroom to change. Once she changed into her baggy pajamas she brushed her teeth and her hair. Tamao walked out into the main room and was about to climb into the empty bed when Nagisa called out to her.
"Tamao-chan?"
Tamao turned around and looked at her love interest. Nagisa was looking at her with tired half lidded eyes. Her hair was messy and all over the place. Still Tamao found her to be adorable. She smiled and walked over to the bedside.
"What is it Nagisa-chan?" She asked, stroking the girl's hair.
"You've taken care of me all day?" She asked wearily.
Tamao blushed and nodded. "I can't take all of the credit. The others helped to."
"But you skipped class for me."
"It was no big deal. I'll always be there for you if you need me."
Nagisa placed her hand on Tamao's and gave it a squeeze. "Arigatou."
Tamao blushed and nodded. "Right. Now move over so I can get in."
"Wh-wh-what?" Nagisa stammered.
"I'm tired and I haven't changed the sheets on your bed yet. So let me in." Nagisa nodded slowly, maybe a little nervously. Tamao lifted up the covers and slid into the bed with Nagisa. As soon as she was in Nagisa slipped an arm over her waist and buried her head in Tamao's shoulder.
"Are you sure? You might get sick to." Despite her statement she hugged Tamao a little closer to her.
Tamao smiled and placed her hand on Nagisa's head. "I think I'm already a little sick."
"…S-sorry for being a bother."
"You're not a bother. Now go to sleep okay." She slipped her other hand into Nagisa's. "Dream sweet dreams, my Nagisa-chan." She started to use her other hand to stroke Nagisa's head.
It wasn't too long before Nagisa drifted off to sleep. Tamao stayed awake a little longer just watching her sleep. She knew that Nagisa's sickness ran a deeper than a fever. It was something much more dangerous. A matter of a broken heart. Tamao promised herself that she would do her best to help Nagisa heal; even if she wasn't the one that would fix her heart in the end. With that last thought Tamao allowed Nagisa's rhythmic breathing to lull her to sleep. That night she would dream of tomorrow's possibilities.
End Chapter
Well everyone I'm back. Like I said this isn't wuite on the same level as my Negima fic but I like it anyways. Give me a review and tell me what you think! I'll be waiting.