Heir & Heiress

Suspicion

Byakuya intended to call out, whether it be her name or for help, but neither came out. "What happened?!" A familiar voice called out; Naegi rushed passed Togami to Karen's side. "Why are you just standing there? Togami!" Byakuya snapped out of the trance and joined Naegi, watching the shorter boy press a finger against the girl's neck and wrist. "She's still alive. I'll go get help," Makoto clambered to his feet, rushing back upstairs. If guilt hadn't consumed him before, Byakuya's hands shook with it as he focused on Karen's pulse in silence. As quickly as Makoto had left, he returned with Sakura and Kirigiri. The martial artist was careful in lifting the unconscious girl, making sure to support her head.

"She fell down this entire flight of stairs?" Kyoko glanced from the top to where Karen had landed. She reached out, barely lifting one of the girl's eyelids, "Dilated pupils. That's not a good sign," Kirigiri's face flickered with worry. The group quickly moved to the infirmary, securing the victim in one of the beds. "Care to explain what happened?" Kirigiri narrowed her eyes, already doubtful of the event.

Byakuya shook his head, slipping his hand into Karen's. "She came to the library to talk and the conversation...didn't go as planned".

"Makoto said you froze. Why?" Kyoko started to close in; while no one had died, the event screamed with suspicion.

Although Byakuya gave the others no reason to trust him, being accused of targeting possibly the only person he wouldn't kill was absurd. "What do you mean 'why'?" His jaw tensed. "Are you implying that I had something to do with this?"

"If the knife stuck in the table is any indication, I have reason to speculate". Kirigiri's subtle accusation hung around Byakuya like a noose.

"Karen brought the knife," The news startled Naegi and Sakura. "I'm not sure if she truly intended to kill me, but she lost her temper and drove the knife through the table". Byakuya locked eyes with Kyoko. There weren't a plethora of insults that could get under Byakuya's skin, but Kirigiri's investigative aggression was one of them.

Sakura and Kirigiri glanced at each other, "She must have taken Celeste's advice," Sakura said. Byakuya was unaware of the context but could very well guess. "Should we...?" Ogami tilted her head, catching a glance of the motionless, black-and-blue girl.

"No, she isn't dead," Kyoko leaned over Karen, listening to her breathing. "She's breathing steadily, so we shouldn't need to worry". She shot Togami a curious glance before leaving with Sakura; Naegi stayed behind.

"If you don't have any business, then leave," Togami's words lacked the usual bite. Naegi watched the heir's eyes trace the bruising on Karen's face and thumb graze her barely healed knuckles. Byakuya hardly heard Makoto say "I'll come back later" before the door quietly shut. 

An hour passed and then another; nighttime was steadily approaching, and Karen had barely moved. With each hour, Byakuya's composure disintegrated further. He was glad that no one had visited since Kirigiri's departure; however, sitting in silence while watching Karen's face darken with bruises was maddening. If he lifted her shirt sleeve slightly, it was clear that her shoulder had been injured. Blood vessels in her left eye were damaged, tinting white with pink. Thankfully, she wasn't bleeding anywhere he could easily notice. A knock at the door pulled Togami's attention away, "What?" he harshly responded.

Naegi hesitantly stood in the doorway, glancing at the still unconscious girl. His posture stiffened, eyelids drooping, "I wanted to check on her before calling it a night". Makoto took Kirigiri's place across from the two, noticing the black-ish, purple marks along the side of Karen's face. "Where're her stitches?" he traced a finger across the marred skin. Makoto hadn't realized how badly Karen had been injured while trapped within the school. "Byakuya, I know you explained what happened to Kyoko, but...".