Heir & Heiress

Reunited?

Investigating the first floor hadn't provided any information on a way to escape or how we ended up in this situation. Honestly, all I cared about was going to my room and sleeping this nightmare away. "Hey, you okay?" Enoshima nudged my shoulder; several eyes were on me. "Did you find anything?"

"Nothing we haven't discussed already," Though I was hardly listening. I was curious to find out why certain rooms were either locked or taped off, in addition to all the other questions I had accumulated. Celeste finished the meeting by voting (declaring) that we stay in our rooms after nighttime and promptly left, leaving Ishimaru to "officially declare the meeting adjourned".

When I entered my room, I was taken aback; all of the furniture was ivory white, fabric was stacked on top of my desk, sketches were tacked to a massive corkboard, and every other inch of the room was accented with decorations. Reminds me of my room in Paris. I froze; the last place I remembered being was in France. How did I travel back to Japan and have no memory of it? I started to tear apart the room, finding nothing that provided an explanation. I gave up and flopped onto the bed with a sigh, drifting to sleep just as the nighttime announcement came on.

"Gooooood morning, everyone!" I jolted upright in bed at the obnoxious voice. Seven? In the god damn morning?! Remembering that this wasn't actually high school, I was prepared to lay back down. Until I remembered Ishimaru mentioning some breakfast meeting. Eh, I'll only be a few minutes late. Once my hair was fully dry, I pulled a belted dress from the wardrobe and slipped into my loafers. By the time I stepped into the dining hall, most of the others were already seated and waiting. "Good morning," I smiled, passing everyone to brew coffee in the kitchen. By the coffee pot was a container of Civet grounds; peering into the dining hall, Togami hadn't arrived yet. I could be nice...

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin!" Ishimaru's voice, before having my caffeine fix, was like listening to jackhammers on concrete.

Careful to not spill the coffee, I approached the table where Togami sat but Fukawa stubbornly blocked the available seat. Instead, I set the cups down, sliding one to Togami, and stood in front of her again. The display had everyone's attention, creating a sense of unease. "I'm going to assume that this seat isn't taken because you're not seated. I'd prefer not to fight over something this trivial".

"W-who do you think you ar-are?" She was annoyed but cowered slightly. Her eyes examined me, staring at every inch of my outfit, hair, and face.

"Someone who doesn't like wasting everyone's time," I hissed through my smile. Fukawa flinched, glancing at Togami as if he would step in, only to be met with another glare. Finally, she stepped out of the way, "Where were we?" I asked, glancing at the multiple stunned faces while sipping coffee. 

"When did you become so bold?" Togami stopped me from returning to my room.

"I was trying to be nice but your...Fukawa made a scene," I shrugged. Although I was sure that Fukawa was a pleasant person to be around, the way she hung around Togami was irritating and unsettling.

"She isn't my anything". Togami's eyes narrowed, slightly turned away in thought. "How long has it been since we last saw each other?" We stood in silence long enough to prompt me to lean against my door. It had been years. I hadn't seen Togami since middle school before he was declared the heir to his father's conglomerate. Heir. I clenched my fist at the word, my breath shaking with anger. "What is it?" he raised an eyebrow, surprised by my sudden mood change.

"We haven't seen each other since before you were declared as heir," I turned back to opening my door. "Must be nice". I swung my door open and was prepared to slam the door.

"What are you referring to?" His confusion made me pause. Although his father didn't stoop to the gossip level of conversation, it was clear that we weren't on the same page. I ushered him into my room and locked the door behind us. He sat at my desk, watching me pace around.

"Can I assume that we can trust each other?"

"In our current situation?" he paused, "Yes".

I sat on the end of my bed, "Then I need to ask you where you were before waking up here". Another look of confusion crossed his face. "I swear it's relevant". I waited for him to answer, drumming my fingers against my legs.

He sighed, "The last place I remember being was in my study at home".

"In Japan?" I leaned forward.

"Yes. What does this have to do with my being heir?" Togami propped his chin against his hand, pressing a finger into his temple.

"The last thing I remember was being in Paris and my father telling me that I wasn't fit to inherit the company". Togami studied my face, trying to find a trace of a lie.

Togami started shaking his head slowly. "Karen, that was months before our acceptance to Hope's Peak". He straightened his posture, "You truly don't remember?"

I bit my lip, shaking my head. "I only knew what my talent was because of Naegi. He read about our class on some forum, so I played along". I guess Naegi's luck is contagious. Togami tapped the desktop slowly, lips pressed together, and seemingly lost in his thoughts. "Do you believe me?" The last thing I wanted was to feel alone in this place; Naegi and the others had been nice, but I couldn't trust them in the same way I could with Togami.

"I trust that you wouldn't lie to me, so I suppose I will". He stood, walking towards the door. I grabbed his hand before he stepped farther into the hallway. "What's wrong?" he quickly turned back to me.

I grinned at the genuine concern, "Thank you". His eyes snapped to our hands and back; a pale pink glow spread across his face. Unable to speak, Togami nodded and squeezed my hand before quickly walking back to his room. I collapsed against my door once he was out of sight; in all the years I'd known Byakuya, that was the first time I'd seen a flustered and embarrassed expression on his face.