On the Beach at Night [Nagito x Reader]

Chapter 11: Despair

The island was sent into chaos after Nagito had set off the bomb in the hotel lobby. Luckily, nobody was fatally injured, but it wasn't the end. As he had said, it was the only the beginning of the end. He told them that he had placed multiple bombs in secret locations throughout the island, only revealing their location if the traitor came forward. The traitor had until noon two days from now to reveal themselves or else the bombs would detonate and destroy the whole island. After a day of searching and coming up short, everyone retired to their cabins for the night.

--

(Y/N) woke up after a restless night's sleep. Even though there were only a few short hours left until the bombs went off, she couldn't find the strength to get out of bed. All she could think about was her time with Nagito, which already felt so long ago. Despite everything he was currently putting everyone through, she still couldn't help but worry about him. He said he would be waiting in the restaurant if the traitor finally decided to come forward.

Wait, she thought, If Nagito is alone in the restaurant right now...

She jumped out of bed as fast as she could and quickly hurried to the restaurant. When she arrived, she saw the exact worst-case scenario she was worried about. Akane was on top of Nagito, her hands gripped around his throat.

"Playtime's over...Now, where'd you hide those bombs?" Akane shouted at him.

"I'll never tell," he choked out. "If you really want me to tell, you should try torturing me or something. If you're not willing to fill me with despair, then there's no way my hope will ever—" his words were cut short by Akane choking him harder. He started gasping for air as his face got increasingly redder.

"Akane, stop!" (Y/N) yelled, but it was no use. She wouldn't listen.

"Just die already!" she ignored all the commands to stop and clenched tighter and tighter around his throat, as if she was trying to snap his neck instead of strangling him. The other students started flooding into the restaurant to witness the same sight that (Y/N) was seeing. Before anyone could process what has happening, they were startled by a loud slap. Chiaki had hit Akane across the face to make her come to her senses.

"Calm down...okay? Chiaki's voice was soft. "You wouldn't do something like that, right? You're not the kind of person who would hurt someone..."

"Thanks, Akane! I finally got to see my dead dog again!" Nagito said as he finally stood up.

How close to death was he?! (Y/N) thought.

After everyone had calmed down, they realized they still had important matters at hand. The clock was ticking and there was still bombs somewhere on the island. They decided the best way to investigate was to split up and check every island. (Y/N) was tasked with searching the second island. She was investigating the pharmacy building, when she was greeted by a frantic Hajime. He told her that they found the bombs on the fifth island, so they both hurried there.

They arrived at the Monokuma factory where there was a truck parked inside. In the truck bed was what looked like a pile of explosives. Hajime noticed a laptop was sitting on the ground next to the truck. They turned it on and a video started playing. It was a video message from Nagito. He told them that only the e-handbook of the traitor would deactivate the bomb. Without hesitation, Chiaki walked over to the small scanner that was wired to the truck. She pulled out her e-handbook and tapped it against the panel, but the truck kept running.

"Who's next?" she asked. Before anyone could try, the truck's engine started sputtering.

"It's running out of gas!" Kazuichi yelled.

Everyone braced themselves for an explosion, but instead, the factory illuminated with a display of bright colors. Fireworks. The laptop started playing another video message.

"So how did it go? Did the traitor come forward? I'll be at the warehouse next door waiting for your answer." Nagito's voice came through the speaker. After the video message was finished, everyone hastily made their way over to the warehouse.

"It's stuck, the door won't budge!" Akane was the first one to reach the door. Without hesitation, she charged with her full weight, causing the door to burst open. The warehouse was completely dark, and there was a strange music playing. Everyone gathered in the doorway, hesitant to fully step inside the pitch-black room. Suddenly, the entire room went up in flames.

"W-what do we do?!" Kazuichi yelled.

"I think I remember seeing some fire grenades in the factory break room! Sonia told them. They ran next door, and each grabbed one before heading back to the warehouse. Simultaneously, they threw the grenades, but the blaze only continued to spread. Just when they thought there was no hope to extinguish the fire, the sprinkler system kicked on, causing the room to fill with smoke and steam.

"W-was Nagito in there?" (Y/N) asked frantically.

"He probably escaped out the back or something, either way we can't go inside there until the smoke clears." Hajime reassured her. Each minute that passed felt like an eternity, waiting for the warehouse to be safe to enter. When it finally looked clear, they all stepped inside the smoldering remains of the warehouse.

(Y/N) felt anxious for some reason. The air felt heavy, and not just from the smoke. Fear immediately took over her senses, and she felt her body shiver.

"Hey, did everyone notice that curtain in the back of the room?" Chiaki asked. (Y/N) looked over to see the remains of what used to be a curtain. It was mostly burned up, which revealed an area of the warehouse they were previously unaware of. Hajime was the first one to move forward. His steps were careful and slow, as if he was also afraid. (Y/N) was close behind him. The nearer they were to the back of the warehouse, the more nervous she felt. Her heart was pounding in her ears, making her feel dizzy. When they finally reached the area behind the curtain, (Y/N) was not prepared for what she saw.

Nagito was dead.

Blood, there was so much blood. He was on the ground, all four of his limbs tied up. There were cuts all over his arms and legs, and a spear stabbed through his gut. His mouth was taped shut and his eyes were wide open with pain. He wasn't just dead, he was brutally murdered.

(Y/N) could feel herself screaming, but she couldn't hear it. The scream tore through her throat, taking every last breath of air out of her. She dropped down to her knees in anguish, another scream forced its way out of her chest. After the initial shock died down, she couldn't hold back anymore. She sobbed uncontrollably until she couldn't breathe. Her sobs turned to chokes as she struggled to inhale.

Why? she repeated over and over in her head. She reached for Nagito, but before she could get near him, Hajime dropped down beside her and held her back, wrapping both his arms around her shoulders from behind. He remained holding her while she cried, her sobs were now silent, but he could feel her body convulsing. Nobody knew what to say or do, they all felt frozen in place. (Y/N) felt a numbness spread throughout her body. She tried to catch her breath, but it still felt like she was suffocating.

*Ding dong dong ding*

The sound of the body discovery announcement just confirmed what she already knew: Nagito was really dead. He was gone. His eyes would never shine again. She'd never see his smile. He'd never again say he loved her.

This...is despair.