Heir & Heiress

Grey Lining

Once we reached my room, Byakuya let me down, allowing me to unlock my door. "I'll be right back," he quickly turned back the way we came. I didn't bother to shut the door; I immediately headed for the bathroom and stripped to my underwear, grabbing the nearest sleep shirt I could find. When I stepped back into the room, Byakuya was already back, setting water bottles next to the medicine. He entered the bathroom with a change of clothes and re-entered the room in the familiar black sleep set.

"You're staying here?" I asked, shifting my legs underneath the covers.

"If you're so insistent on staying in your room, I don't have a choice," he shrugged, turning off the light. I felt the bed shift as his weight settled next to me; darkness enveloped us completely, creating the illusion that I was alone.

"What did you do....while I was unconscious? What happened?" I doubted that anyone had died; Monokuma would have found some method of forcing me awake in time for a trial.

"After you lost consciousness, Ogami carried you to the infirmary while me, Naegi, and...Kirigiri followed". Byakuya paused. "I remained by your side since". The pause of mentioning Kyoko was odd; the two didn't talk enough to call each other enemies or allies, but I shrugged it off. "However, just before you woke up, you mentioned a name. Who's Nagito?"

Fragments of my dream flickered through my mind, "I...He's some guy with white hair from a dream". Nightmare or dream, I couldn't tell the difference. The burning buildings, blood and smoke, and the smiling faces of our classmates...I tried remembering the dream as best as possible, but a sharp ache shot through my skull. I sat up, clutching my head, "But...he was telling me to 'stop her'," Forcing myself only made the headache worse. "Something's off, Byakuya. I know it".

"Stop," Byakuya eased me to lay back down, "You need to rest". He kissed my cheek and laid down. I wasn't particularly tired, but once I heard Byakuya's soft breathing, I inched closer and snuggled into his arms. If fighting nearly cost me my life, I'd rather stay by his side in this prison.

After the morning announcement played, I felt no urgency to leave my bed. Byakuya was quick to get up and prepare for the day. "You're not going to get up?" He asked, adjusting his tie.

"No," I rubbed my eyes. I had woken up a few times throughout the night, finding myself staring into the blank darkness. I fell down a flight of stairs and was knocked out, only to wake up once again trapped in the Mastermind's hands. 'At least the others got out'.

"I refuse to leave you alone," Byakuya took my hands, forcing me to sit up. He handed me another half pill with a bottle of water. "Besides, we need to have a discussion with Kirigiri," he said, setting a change of clothes next to me.

"What? Why? Did something happen?" I asked. Byakuya shook his head and neglected to give me an answer. I reluctantly showered and got dressed, seeing my reflection for the first time since my accident. Half of my face was bruised with grey and blue, much like the rest of my body. My left eye was partly swollen and pink instead of white, that explains why it hurts. I traced my scarred arm and hand, remembering how I reckless tore out my mishap stitches. "I'm a mess," I whispered.

When we entered the dining hall, everyone except Taka and Fukawa was inside; all eyes turned towards us. "How come none of you mentioned how awful my face looks?" I glanced between Celeste, Hina, and Naegi.

"Yeah, seriously. You look like the Ogre attacked you!" Hiro blurted. Hina punched his arm, making him instantly regret speaking. Besides Hiro, no one else spoke; rather we were distracted by the tension hovering around us. Byakuya and Kyoko were occupied with glaring at each other, "Yo, did something happen?"

"Karen, what happened just before you fell?" Kyoko asked, breaking the glare exchange.

"Uh...Byakuya and I were...talking," I nodded along. "I ran out and tripped over-".

"You didn't feel any hands on your back?" Kyoko interrupted.

I raised an eyebrow, "Do you think someone pushed me?" Glancing around the room, nearly everyone's eyes were trained on Byakuya. "I can understand why you don't trust him, but Byakuya would never...he's too protective". My eyes grew wide; how hadn't I realized it earlier?

"What is it?" Kyoko asked, surprised by my sudden change in demeanor.

I glanced up at Byakuya, who was equally confused. "I understand now. Anyway, anything new?" I prompted. Kyoko shook her head. "Alright then," I led Byakuya towards the kitchen and watched him prepare our coffee, catching his gaze every now and then.

"Is there something everyone knows besides me?" he asked, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing.

"You'll know soon. We just have to wait a little longer". 'Not like it'll make much of a difference' "Um...when you said you 'saved me', did that mean that you were trying to protect me?"

"Trying?" He scoffed. "I was concerned about you, not your title," Byakuya set the coffee pot aside, focused on his thoughts. "I never thought I would nearly lose you because of that decision". He leaned against the counter, crossed his arms, and clenched his eyes shut. Remembering how horrified Byakuya was at the top of the stairs, his expression now was similar.

"You shouldn't blame yourself. We miscommunicated....it wouldn't be the first time," I shrugged, resting a hand against his arm. Two traits we shared, that clashed the most, were our stubbornness and pride. I was reckless and abused the wealth I was born with; Byakuya was logical and methodical to a fault. Everything we'd known, that shaped us into who we were, revolved around our familial influence and wealth. Without that, who were we? "Why though? We hardly saw one another back then".

"You were my...closest friend," Byakuya averted his eyes, cheeks blazing with a furious shade of pink.

Were? I tilted my head, raising an eyebrow. "What about...now?" I shrunk after asking; it felt unfair to ask after the past few days. His fingers wrapped tighter around his arms, gaze darting around the room; I shook my head, "Sorry...that's a bit forward after everything...".

"It's not a matter of being forward, rather it should be self-explanatory". Byakuya set our coffee on a tray and began walking away, waiting semi-patiently for me to tag along. 

"Where are we going?" We walked past the hallway where the library was located and continued to the third floor. Byakuya didn't answer; I was definitely curious since I hadn't had much time to explore the newest floor. When he finally stopped walking, I entered first; "This is incredible!" I gawked at the extensive art supplies cluttering the room. I snatched up the first sketchbook and pencil I could find and was immediately stationed at the nearest desk. Byakuya sat at the desk in front of me, already reading and sipping his coffee. Page after page, I sketched messily; time slipped by until Byakuya was forcing my hand to stop moving. "Is something wrong?" He tapped the pad below my hands. My drawings weren't of clothing designs, but of...people I didn't recognize, events that I don't recall happening. Two boys dressed in kimono, one with white, messy hair and one with brown hair, staring lovingly at one another; Byakuya dressed in a suit with a blue tie; and several others featuring people wearing the same brown uniforms. I was beginning to doubt that my dreams were, in fact, dreams; and judging from Byakuya's determined expression, we agreed.