Pregnant 9

"Dear, are you alright?" Michiru asked yet again, cradling the man in her arm. Michiru's eyes brightened as Malus slowly came to.

A moment later an attendant rushed into the room to see what the commotion was about. Michiru pointed to her fallen partner on the floor.

"Get that out of my sight. I will deal with her later."

Haruka moaned as the man pulled her out f the room by her armpits. Nothing felt broken, but she had no doubt that if Michiru had pushed her any her harder, the impact would have sent a number of ribs into her lungs. 

Still, the pain in her back and head were almost too much to bear. The man continued to drag her down a long white hall until they came to a room that resembled the first one she entered, except this room had a rough floor of granite-like stones. 

The man pushed her into the room and quickly closed and bolted the door before she could find the strength to pick herself up. Haruka didn't attempt to escape or even plan her exit. As she rested her head on one of the less-jagged stones, she thought about what had just happened.

Haruka remembered that one of the girls had mentioned something about Michiru being a bearing a child, but she had hoped to find her before any such thing befell he, however, Michiru had to be at least four months pregnant. Haruka still couldn't understand how anything like that could have happened and was debating with herself about whether Michiru was truly pregnant. First of all, Michiru was faithful and honest.

 Even if she didn't want to be with here anymore, she would have said so and at least waited until she moved out to start a family with the mystery man. Michiru had been acting a bit odd lately, but she was often more irritable when she was on her period, which Haruka knew she was from the tampon wrappers in the trash. 

Haruka couldn't just ignore what the girl had said, what Katinka had said, and not to mention the lump in Michiru's abdomen. Also, why had Michiru been wearing a robe identical to the one Katinka had worn?

Before Michiru had arrived in the room, Haruka had felt a pain in her heart, as if she had lost something very important to her- even more painful than the loss of Michiru's faith. Either way, she was going to kill that man the instant she got out of the room. 

Haruka tried to force it out of her mind, but the facts were clear; Malus had impregnated Michiru and most likely done something to turn her lover against her. Haruka finally managed to stand, but the moment she did, she was overcome by nausea. Haruka retched twice and emptied herself of the grapes she had been hand-fed earlier. Haruka had never felt so sick.

---

"Excuse me."

Rei jumped at the voice and then paused her sweeping to turn toward the schoolgirl holding up two of the friendship charms sold at the shrine.

"I'd like to buy these, please."

"Yes, of course," Rei said kindly, although still rattled. She accepted the money from the girl's hand and waved as she walked down the steps.

Rei had been quite nervous since the previous night. The fire had given her a warning of some sort, but she hadn't been able to comprehend the meaning.

 Although she didn't completely understand, she had a feeling that Usagi was in danger. She had called Usagi every hour, startling her pregnant friend with the concern that she didn't often bother to show. Rei finished sweeping the front steps and went into her room to call Usagi again. She didn't answer the first time, which wasn't unusual because she was often too busy eating to talk, but by the third time, Rei knew that something was wrong.

 Usagi also had a bad habit of talking while she ate, and Usagi would still pick up the phone if she were in the middle of one of her many daily meals.

Rei rushed to her car and began to speed the ten mile distance to Mamoru and Usagi's house. Four police cars and an ambulance blared past her on the way to the house, and though she prayed otherwise, they pulled onto the exact street that she was headed for. Rei nearly crashed when she saw the scene in front of the Chiba residence.

 Mamoru, who had only gone to the ice cream parlor instead of work to surprise his wife, had returned less than fifteen minutes later to find Usagi in the condition that Michiru had left her in. Mamoru himself hadn't made the call for help, but the neighbors who had received an earful of Mamoru's anguished screams. 

A group of paramedics burst into the house, but one stayed behind, along with two of the police to help contain the frantic man and get the facts. The surrounding neighbors were also being interrogated.
Rei ran to the house and ducked under the tape they had surrounded it with. One of the officers grabbed her arm before she could get any further.

"Miss, you're going to need to step behind the tape."

Rei angrily shook his hand off of her, but didn't go any further in fear of what she might see. "W-what happened?" she asked shakily, tears persistently leaping from her eyes. The man solemnly shook his head, his amiable face falling into an expression of sympathy.
"Mrs. Chiba had and accident."

"IS SHE OKAY?" Rei shrieked, clutching her hands to her heart.
"It appears that she was preparing dinner. Her hand must have slipped."

The tears fell even harder. Rei was about to question further when they brought the lifeless body from the house. Michiru had carefully placed a cutting board and arranged meat and vegetables on it in a sloppy manner that could have perfectly passed as the beginning of the dish on TV that Usagi had been trying to make. 

Rei watched in horror as the body was heaved past her on a gurney. Before they had a chance to completely zip the body bag, Rei caught a ghastly glimpse of Usagi's face. She was still smiling that pretty, semi-spaced out smile of hers. Even her blue eyes, although cloudy, seemed to be happy. 

Rei knew that Usagi wasn't that foolish. Sure she was a klutz, but she had the sense to not cut with the knife facing her body. In fact, she didn't think that Mamoru kept any sharp knives in fear of Usagi's safety. Rei could only watch as the body of her best friend was loaded into the ambulance out of view. This was not an accident. Rei was sure of that