Truth, Perjury, and Sacrifice

Remind Me

Karen sat in the living room, listening to the silent house, with a glass of wine in her hand. Glancing at the clock, it was almost midnight. She tossed and turned in bed for two hours earlier, trying to sleep but her eyes couldn't stay closed. Instead, she got back up and came downstairs to watch reruns of trash TV. She sighed and pulled out her phone, dialing Byakuya's number. Only after the first ring did he pick up, "Hey."

"Couldn't sleep, I see."

"Neither could you. You're never awake this late at night unless you're at the office." The two sat in silence on the phone for what seemed like several minutes. "I didn't really have a reason to call. It's just so quiet in this house without you guys here. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be wasting your time like this."

"You're not wasting my time. When it comes to you, sweetheart, I always have time for you," Byakuya said. "I'm glad you called."

Karen smiled, "So, they're all stable?'

"Yes, everyone is still okay. Have Hinata and the others kept you updated as well?"

Karen nodded, "Yeah, they seem to be handling the situation well for now. They don't want us to have to think much about the damage control, but I told Hinata that wouldn't be fair since he's also struggling right now, too."

Byakuya chuckled, "You truly are an enigma sometimes."

"What? Why?" Karen's smile grew.

"I'm remembering the events that took place while we were prisoners in that damn school. You've matured greatly, is what I'm saying."

"So have you. The fact that you're the one who agreed to care for Kotoko and Nagisa is astonishing really." She stopped and thought about the others. "All of our friends are really something. Can you believe we actually have these many friends?"

"I think Hinata and the others are more your friends than mine, but I agree, it is a bit surprising with the way things have turned out."

Karen paused. She forgot that she had disappeared for a few months. Of course, she was closer to the other class than the others. "When I was on the island with the others, Nagito and Hajime were the ones to wake me up and drag me out of bed most mornings. But everyone helped each other move on and get better. Mikan and I especially had to be there for each other, being as physically close to Junko as we were. But Nagito....Nagito never let me forget the good or the bad."

Byakuya remained silent on the other end of the call, allowing Karen to keep talking. "For the first couple of days, he would remind me how laying in bed all day was letting Junko win. After the first week, that stopped working, so he resorted to using you as motivation." She cleared her throat to impersonate Nagito as best as possible. "How will you face Byakuya if you don't try? What, are you giving up on the person who was there for you after you escaped? You're just gonna give up on your friends that died?"

"Well, that's a little harsh," Byakuya said.

Karen laughed, "Hajime said the same thing! Mahiru was so mad after he told her about it that she told all of the girls and they all ganged up on Nagito for that one." Her smile waned. "I could've come back sooner. But I didn't feel worthy enough to face any of you."

"I understand. However, I assumed you hadn't come back because of what happened back at Future Foundation."

"The killing game was part of it, but-."

"No, I mean the hostage retrieval. The first one, with Hanako."

Karen clicked her tongue. "I had completely forgotten about that, to be honest."