Heir & Heiress

Red Strings

"How could this happen?!" Hina blurted in a mix of fear and anger.

"Yeah! If this actually broadcasted, someone surely would've come for us!" Hiro was on the verge of frantic tears.

"Have you forgotten about the machine guns outside?" I froze, clenching my fists against my thighs. Hiro and Hina stopped yelling, faces contorting in horrified remembrance. "We already know how far the Mastermind will go. Stop thinking in the frame of the world you knew. That world is gone," I stepped closer, "Far. Gone". Before the metallic pop could reach my ears, a searing burn pierced through my shoulder, sending me to my knees in agonizing pain. My body shook as I clutched the weeping wound, my throat too dry with shock to scream. A Gatling gun hung above us with a thin line of smoke still seeping out.

"One more slip up and you're target practice!" Monokuma's voice bounced off the walls.

Byakuya wrapped his blazer carefully around my shoulder, "You have your answer," he spat the words to Kyoko.

"What the hell is going on?" That was the first time I could recall hearing an obscenity cross Makoto's lip. I violently shook my head.

"Don't ask her any questions," Byakuya eased me to stand. "I'm taking her downstairs. Get back to investigating".

"Are you seriously not going to explain what's going on?" Hina tried to chase after us.

"I have no intention of sacrificing either of us sooner than we anticipated," Byakuya took one step down the staircase, then helped me down the same step.

"Wait, the two people...," Makoto tried to process his thoughts.

"Not until the class trial," Kyoko stopped him, but Makoto's eyes were already focused on our stressed and worried expressions. 

The bullet had traveled through the back, barely lodging itself in the front of my shoulder. The once-hot metal had begun to fuse with my skin by the time we arrived at the nurse's office. Byakuya scoured the office for every supply, tossing gauze, bandaging, peroxide, and tweezers on the bed in front of me. I could've made a remark about the sense of déjà vu this had given me, but my lips were still sewn shut with fear. I felt my skin tear open when the bullet was removed, and the uncomfortable singe of peroxide washing the blood away. "I'm sorry," Byakuya murmured, pressing fresh gauze against the wound. "I shouldn't have hastily agreed to Monokuma's proposal".

I shook my head, "No, I should apologize. I put so much faith in everyone that...I put our lives on the line for them". I held the front patch of gauze in place as Byakuya wrapped the bandaging around my shoulder. "I thought we could win. I thought everyone could work together, but the deal only made things worse. I forced everyone into a situation they weren't ready for," my eyes tensed with the sting of tears. "I held hope in everyone and we're going to be executed because of my blind faith".

"It's not over yet. Even though it pains me to say it, I...hold faith in Kirigiri and Naegi," Byakuya sat next to me, wrapping an arm around my waist. "So, we haven't lost, okay? We don't lose". He took a glance at the clock on the wall, "We have sixteen hours left. You should rest, at least for an hour or so. I can keep investigating".

"No, I need to keep going. This investigation is too important to slack off".

"You wouldn't be slacking off, Karen. You were shot. You need to slow down and let your body stabilize before the class trial".

"I can rest when this is over," I stood on my still-shaking legs, "I will rest when this is over".

Byakuya paused, then sighed. "Alright. If you need to stop, tell me".

"I'll take it easy. I promise," he narrowed his eyes at me. "And I promise that you're able to trust me when I say I promise".

"Unstable logical reasoning, but I suppose I'll trust your word". 

We had returned back to the beginning. Knowing that every door should be open, I walked straight for the first unoccupied room. The handle to Sayaka's room sent chills through my hand, traveling through my body as the handle clicked down. If Sayaka's room had opened....I slammed the door shut and continued down the hallway. Junko's nameplate watched me as I barged into the supposed fashionista's room. Enoshima had always insisted to hang out anywhere besides her room and now the military gear surrounding the room answered my questions. An entire slotted rack had been attached to the wall and various close combat weapons had been secured to it. "That's the same knife we found in the victim. However, no one but Makoto had access to a combat knife". Byakuya's explanation sent the floor reeling underneath me. His hands clasped around my elbows, helping me to stand straight, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. I had acted on the Mastermind's orders with no hesitation, not even allowing me to process what I had done. Stealing the knife may have saved Makoto from suspicion, but I had unknowingly made Byakuya and me prime suspects in Ikusaba's murder. "Ikusaba," I muttered, fully taking in our surroundings. If this was actually Mukuro's room, then... The red nailed hand waved back in my mind. Bile pricked the back of my throat, "I have to leave". I bolted from the room, out of Byakuya's reach, and pressed my hands against the corridor wall.

"There's something I don't know," Byakuya shut the door behind him, leaning against the lean next to me. "Something that involves Enoshima or Ikusaba," he spoke low. "However, if Ikusaba's body is in the garden". He paused to process the connections being made.

"Hey," a voice called from the end of the hall. "Are you okay, Karen?" Makoto's voice blurred in my ears. The realization and shock of the past hour finally began to catch up to me. I could see his lips moving, eyes widen in concern, and hands steady my stance. Junko Enoshima is the Mastermind. My mouth moved, but only conspiracy gibberish spilled out. Junko Enoshima is alive.

The world is watching us kill each other.

Junko Enoshima caused the Tragedy.

Junko Enoshima is the Mastermind.