Chapter nine: The revelation

Tamao watched with a twisted heart from the Literature class window as Nagisa was wheeled out into the ambulance on a gurney. She had looked awful; her waxen skin looked as if it was just that ... white, ghostly wax, her blue tinted lips looked as though they had been submerged in frozen water, and her hair once a silky aubrn was now a faded dusty-looking chestnut. Tamao's shallow blue eyes were sorrowful but her mind and heart told her it was for the best. It was all for the best. The bell rang for the end of class. She grabbed her things and darted for the safety of her room. She slammed her door shut, dumped her books on her bed and headed straight for her desk drawer. She jerked it open and rummaged around in her drawer looking for the small bottle of pills in a panic … but they weren't there! She began to freak out. That's when a deep chuckle rang in her ears. She turned around in a fright to see a shadow behind her wardrobe. A shoe poked itself into view and there stood …

"M-Miyuki-sama?"

Miyuki smirked evilly as she licked her lips and raised a small brown bottle of pills,, tapping her finger against the plastic, in sync to the drumming of Tamao's pani-stricken heart. Tamao's eyes widened with fear. "My, my, my, Suzumi-san we are in trouble … aren't we?" Miyuki sneered her fingers closing tightly around the bottle, her lips curling into a vicious snarl.

"Why are you here Miyuki-sama?" Tamao's voice strained against the nervous shakiness that wavered her words.

"Because I've noticed things, about Nagisa-chan, Suzumi-san" Miyuki stepped closer her eyes fastened on Tamao's. "I have noticed how for the past week Nagisa has been hallucinating, having fits, and losing her appetite rather frequently"

"S-so?"

"These tablets went missing exactly six days ago from Sister Clements store cupboard" Miyuki went on "the side effects over an over-dose are all the symptoms that Nagisa has been having, is there anything you would like to tell me before I call the police?"

"I have nothing to hide!" Tamao screamed.

"Then how many bottles have you used on Nagisa-chan?" Tamao shifted uncomfortably "Suzumi-san HOW MANY BOTTLES HAVE YOU USED ON NAGISA?" Tamao didn't say anything; she just grabbed a small bag from beneath her pillow and shoved it into Miyuki's hands. Miyuki opened the brim of the bag to see the contents within and choked on a scream with wide eyes. "FIVE BOTTLES? SUZUMI-SAN, NAGISA-CHAN IS DYING!!!"

"I didn't mean for it to go this far" Tamao whimpered.

"YOU BITCH!!!"

SMACK!!!

Tamao landed against the desk heavy with a scream as she pressed her palm to the open wound. She drew it away and saw blood drip from her fingers. "W-what's wrong with you?"

"ME? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? DRUGGING YOU'RE 'BEST FRIEND' BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!!! YOU'RE SICK!!!" Miyuki landed a kick in Tamao's gut before stalking out of the room the bag of empty bottles in her hand "I need to get to the hospital and call the police" She opted for calling the police first. She hurried towards the reception. Ms. Kenyan was currently behind the desk. She looked startled as Miyuki banged her fist onto the desktop. "I need to use the public phone," she panted heavily, trying to regain her breath.

"Why?"

Miyuki fixed the receptionist with a stern glare "I need to call the police. About Nagisa-chan" Ms. Kenyan nodded, her short magenta floating about in sleek straight strands. She dialled the police's number and handed it to Miyuki over the desk. She drummed her fingers on the desk as she waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

"Hello Astrae Police service, how may I help you?"

"Hello I would like to report someone for arrest"

"What is the offence?"

"She had drugged another student, with medication used for ADHD and for epileptics"

"How many bottles were used?"

Miyuki sifted through the bag quickly counting the bottles "five"

"And where are you?"

"Astrae Hill, Strawberry dorms"

"Okay a car will be there soon. What is the name of the offender?"

"Suzumi-Tamao"

"Okay we will be there in ten minutes. Where is the defendant?"

"In Shanghai hospital"

"Very well, we will take Suzumi-san into custody and then come to question you and the defendant"

"And Shizuma Hanazono too"

"Very well, we will come to question you as soon as Suzumi-Tamao is in custody"

"Arigatou" the line went dead as the police officer hung up. That was that sorted. An evil smirk spread over Miyuki's face. Shanghai state prison was the worst. She couldn't wait to visit Tamao there just for the sake to see how badly beaten she had gotten. Muyuki shook her head. "I need to get to Nagisa-chan and Shizuma"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

IN SHANGHAI HOSPITAL

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The doctors wheeled the gurney through the corridors towards the 'Minor' wards. Shizuma was told to wait behind by a nurse, to fill out some forms. She tapped her foot impatiently; her mind stuck on her little Nagisa several floors up. Eventually the nurse directed her to the fourth floor. She took the stairs as the lifts were bugging her stopping at every floor and taking forever for the doors to open and close. She entered the 'Minors' ward, her heart beating frantically. She went over to the desk. "Excuse me" the nurse behind the desk looked up.

"Yes?"

"I am looking for my fiancé"

"Okay, what's his name?"

"Her name is Aoi, Nagisa"

The nurse looked at her for a second before standing up "I'll take you to her" Shizuma followed the nurse to the end of the ward. The pale green curtains were drawn shut around the bed. The nurse turned to her "the doctors are nearly finished examining her"

Shizuma waited as patiently as she could while the doctors finished up. Soon the curtains were pulled away and Shizuma's hand flew to her mouth. "Nagisa-chan?" she breathed. She was torn between finding out what was wrong with her lover and grabbing Nagisa's frightfully pale hand just to have some form of reassurance that she was still alive. She turned to the doctor. "W-what is wrong w-with her?"

"It appears as though…"

"NAGISA WAS DRUGGED!" Miyuki's shout sent a jolt of panic and anger stab within Shizuma's stomach, as she turned to stare at her friend with wide emerald eyes.

"W-what?" she couldn't believe her ears as Miyuki braced herself against Shizuma's shoulders as she caught her breath back, "did … d-did you just say t-that my little Nagisa-chan … was … d-drugged?" Miyuki nodded breathlessly. "When? Who? With what?"

The doctor escorted both women into his office so as not to disturb the other patients. Miyuki sat down in a chair between Shizuma and the doctor. She could feel Shizuma's emerald eyes burning into her. She swallowed thickly "the police said they would get here as soon as they could"

"The police?"

"Yes" Miyuki looked up to the doctor "it appears that a girl in our boarding school, Suzumi Tamao" she felt Shizuma bristle with venomous anger at the sound of Tamao's name "slipped Nagisa five bottles worth of medication"

"What medication?"

"Uh…the prescribed drugs for ADHD and epileptic fits mixed together"

The doctor noted it down while Shizuma shook in her chair, as she gripped the armrests. "Will she be alright?" Shizuma finally asked the doctor.

"Yes she will be alright but she has to stay the night so we can flush the drugs out and then spend the weekend in recovery"

Shizuma was still not happy with his answer. She stubbornly folded her arms across her chest. Miyuki shook her head with a subconscious smile. A trait inherited from Nagisa. "Alright. Then I shall stay with her"

"Shizuma-sama you cannot…" Miyuki snapped turning to Shizuma with wide eyes.

"I am not Etoilé anymore" Shizuma snapped right back without an undertone of malice of cruelty. She was hurt Miyuki could see that. She let the matter drop. She rested a hand on Shizuma's shoulder.

"I shall inform the school of where you and Nagisa-chan, are"

"Thank you Miyuki…I appreciate it very much"

"I know, what else can I do for the godmother of my baby?" she smiled as she stood up, pressed a kiss to Shizuma's forehead and left the doctors office. She was shrugging on her coat and about to leave the office when hand rested on her shoulder. She turned to see two police officers.

"Are you Rokujo-san?" one of the asked. She nodded knowing what was about to come. She wasn't afraid. Not if it meant locking Tamao-chan up in a high-security cell. She refused to even think about the idea of raising a child in a world where Tamao was walking around on the streets drugging people who stopped her from getting what she wanted. "If you'd step outside we would like to question you, is that alright?"

"Hai" she followed them outside into the hallway to be questioned.