Heir & Heiress

Behind Closed, Red Doors

The damage to the muscle restricted me from sewing a proper sling, so I had to rely on safety pins and tying the fabric together. "I guess I won't be able to sew any time soon," I muttered, sighing. I couldn't use my dominant hand at all without causing pain; I would be forced to use the other hand for everything until the muscle started to repair itself. To make matters worse, with the infirmary still closed off, pain killers were inaccessible.

"Is that your first concern? You could've been killed!" Togami paced around my room, livid.

I turned in my seat, "Two people are dead, Byakuya! I consider myself lucky!"

"Despite having no way to properly treat your wound?" He leaned on my desk, glaring over my shoulder. He watched as I tried to cut semi-even squares from a roll of beige cotton while trying to keep pressure on my wound. "What are you doing?"

"You need to apply gauze before wrapping a wound in bandaging," I rolled my eyes. The scissors slipped from my grip, triggering a frustrated sigh to slip out. Byakuya stole the scissors and fabric from my reach, finishing my crude work. I started to untangle the stained blazer and walked into my bathroom. I shuddered at the copper smell and hissed as the cold water washed blood down the drain. Holding my trembling limb up, Byakuya carefully pressed the fabric strips along the wound. Taking a larger piece, Byakuya secured the 'gauze' in place and tie the ends together. "Alright, that's the best we can do for now, I think. We should join the others". Just as I turned towards the door, the room began to spin. I pressed my other hand against the wall, stabilizing myself. "I didn't think I'd lost that much blood".

"Haven't you eaten today?" He asked, helping me ease onto my bed. Thinking back to this morning, I realized I hadn't. Naegi found Maizono shortly after we arrived at the dining hall, which distracted me from even having coffee. Byakuya sighed and rolled his eyes, "Don't move". 'I wonder if he regrets the arrangement now?'

After several minutes, Byakuya returned to my room with Hina close behind him. "How are you feeling?" She sat beside me on the edge of my bed, handing me a tumbler bottle. "It's a protein drink. It's not the best tasting, but it should help with the dizziness".

I sipped the thick drink; it was vanilla flavored but had a slight chalky after taste. I was tempted to ask how much sugar was hidden beyond the stale taste, but I smiled in gratitude instead. "I'll be okay," I stared at the beige wrapping. Thankfully, there was no sign of blood soiling the fabric. "But more importantly, how's the investigation going?" I shifted glances from Hina to Byakuya. Neither of them seemed pleased by the topic.

"Naegi is the primary suspect". Byakuya didn't sound surprised.

"What?," I chuckled, "and you believe that?" my smirk quickly fell. When I thought of Makoto, I didn't think of a killer. Sayaka was an old classmate of his, so why would he kill a friend? "Makoto wouldn't-!"

"How are you certain?" Byakuya shot back. "Appearance can be deceiving". He would know all too well; Byakuya was raised in the competition of deception and strategy. I knew he was capable of tearing others down for personal benefit; I was the same way. Luxury and wealth were fleeting achievements, so it became almost necessary to manipulate the playing field to stay on top. I had no knowledge of how Naegi was raised, but I was certain that our worlds were completely different.

I shook the doubt from my mind, "No one could act that open without setting themselves up for failure". I had faith that Naegi was innocent and no one could change my mind. Byakuya and I maintained eye contact through Monokuma's announcement. Hina went ahead, leaving the two of us to bitterly walk together through the first floor.

When we walked through the red doors, most of the group was already gathered. But when Naegi joined us, he sunk against the door. Every accusatory eye had turned on him, making the air thick with hostility. The elevator doors slid open and, as we filed in, I gave Naegi an encouraging smile and nod. The moment of reprieve vanished, however, when the elevator doors reopened. The room was practically empty, except for the high throne seat and seventeen podium seats arranged in a circle. Of course, the walls and floor were decorated in the familiar garish style as the rest of the school. In two of the seats, two pictures stood in place of Enoshima and Maizono with their faces crossed out. Our names were carved into the wood, signifying who would stand where. I found my name between Enoshima and Ishimaru; almost directly across from me was Togami. After an explanation of what we were supposed to do, Monokuma excitedly announced the start of the first class trial.