On the Beach at Night [Nagito x Reader]

Chapter 13: Nightmare

>>>>Author's Note:  Feel free to listen to this video as you read the chapter. It's a piano version of "On the Beach at Night" from the Starbound OST. This is what I imagine Nagito's song would sound like and it was the inspiration for this whole fic. Also, I highly recommend checking out the entire soundtrack, even if you haven't played the game!<<<<

(Y/N) was seated on the bench, one foot on the pedal, two hands on piano. Everything around her was dark, but she could still see the whites of the keys in front of her. Suddenly, a spotlight shinned down on her from above. She was on stage, but all the seats in the audience were empty. Another spotlight illuminated the other side of the stage, and she saw him. Nagito was on his knees, a chain around his neck, his arms tied behind him. A figure emerged from the darkness behind the stage. It was a man she had never seen before, but for some reason he seemed familiar. He was wearing a black suit and tie, with long hair that was almost down to his ankles. His hair covered most of his face, but she could still see glowing red eyes watching her from underneath.

"Play." He spoke in a monotone voice.

"W-What song do I play?" she stuttered.

"Play now, before I get bored."

Without thinking, her hands started moving against her will. She had no song in mind, but instead let her hands carry her along. She started playing Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca. She played the few beginning lines flawlessly, but eventually her fingers stumbled and missed a note. It was just one single note, but it seemed to echo the loudest throughout the empty music hall. As soon as she felt herself mess up, the red-eyed man stabbed Nagito with a knife into his back, right between his shoulders. She immediately ceased her playing.

"Stop!" she screamed. She tried to move, but she felt glued to the bench.

"Keep playing." he commanded. (Y/N) could see the blood starting to pool on the floor around Nagito. She had no choice but to continue playing. She tried to continue where she left off, but her fingers were trembling. No matter how hard she tried to play perfectly, she clumsily missed another note. He stabbed Nagito in his back again. This time, (Y/N) kept playing, but the tempo was off. She looked over at Nagito, who was still smiling at her, despite everything that was happening to him. He opened his mouth to speak, causing blood to drip down his chin.

"Keep playing, (Y/N). It sounds perfect." he coughed up more blood as he spoke. (Y/N) felt tears running down her cheeks as her hands moved frantically across the keys. Another wrong note slipped out. And another. Soon, no matter what she did, she could not remember how to play the song. More and more blood spilled out of Nagito with each stab until the entire stage floor was covered. The song was nearly over. (Y/N) struck the final chord. The wrong notes clashed with each other as they echoed throughout the music hall. As she released her fingers from the keys, the man took one final stab, this time with a spear. He sent the spear through his back and straight through his heart. Nagito fell over as he choked out one last final breath. (Y/N) still couldn't move. Not even a scream. No matter how hard she wanted to, no sound escaped.

"It's your fault he died." the man said calmly. "You were the only one who could have saved him."

He walked closer to (Y/N). She wanted to run away. Her heart was racing with each step he took in her direction. He was now close enough that she could see his face clearly.

Is that...?

--

(Y/N) woke up drenched in sweat and out of breath. Instant relief washed over her as she realized it was only a nightmare. It was still the middle of the night, but she was too afraid to go back to sleep. There was no way she'd risk continuing that nightmare. Instead, she turned on the light and pulled out her notebook. She finally realized what was missing from Nagito's song, the middle part she could never quite get right.

Despair.

--

Hajime couldn't sleep. There was enough light coming through his window that he decided it was best to just give up on sleeping. As he left his cabin, he swore he saw someone enter the abandoned building. Was that (Y/N)? he thought. Curious, he decided to follow her.

When he entered the building, he saw no sign of her. He slowly walked down hallway, trying not to make a sound. At the end of the hall, he noticed a door that was cracked open slightly. He peeked through the narrow opening and saw her, sitting at a piano in the center of the room. There were ripped out notebook pages strew across the floor near the bench. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard her speak.

"I kept my promise." her voice was a whisper. After a deep inhale, she started playing. Hajime remained in the doorway, trying to listen without disturbing her. The beginning started out gentle, but the notes were joyful and full of life. The melody sounded like happiness in the form of a song. A blissful feeling came over him, like he was remembering something sentimental. Each note was a memory, but the memories were not his own. They were (Y/N)'s.

The melody repeated, this time with more intensity. He could feel his heart beating in tempo with the music. It was a new memory now, one that made him feel nervous, as if there was something greater yet to come. The same joyful melody continued to caress his ears, and he secretly wished it would last forever.

But it stopped. After a gentle arpeggio, (Y/N) struck a chord that was much darker now. The notes were more repetitive and drawn out now, as if she was hesitating to move forward. It was now a battle between her and the piano, as if she didn't want the song to keep going. The relaxing melody that Hajime just heard was replaced by a sorrowful cadence of tragedy and loss. Not realizing, tears started rolling down his cheeks. He almost wanted to stop listening, like he was eavesdropping on a private conversation he wasn't meant to hear.

The song started slowing down, like each press of the key was a struggle. It then came to an abrupt stop, like it was unfinished. The music was replaced by (Y/N)'s quiet sobs.

"I'm sorry, Nagito...I can't..." she whispered

"(Y/N)?" Hajime couldn't remain hidden anymore.

"Ah! Hajime! What are you doing here?" she said, startled by his sudden appearance.

"I was up early, and I happened to see you walk in here...and—"

"and you followed me?"

"I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"Hajime, are you crying?"

"W-what?" he was defensive at first. "Oh, I guess I was." he touched a hand to his face. "I heard your song, (Y/N). I can see now why you are the Ultimate Composer."

"You heard all of it?" she sniffled. Her face flushed red for a moment.

"All of it, until you stopped. That wasn't the end, was it?"

"No, there's more. I-I'll try again..." her voice was almost a whisper.

"Do you want me to leave?" he offered.

"I think it's okay. I used to be afraid to play in front of people, but somebody helped me overcome that fear." she smiled weakly. Hajime stood behind her and watched over her shoulder as she picked up where she left off. This time, there was more force behind each note, like she was trying to power through storm instead of taking shelter. But soon enough, the storm began to clear, and this time, the sun shined brighter than it ever had before. The same happy melody began playing again, but louder and more intricately. It was the grand finale, and nothing could stop her from moving forward.

He saw her tears fall, but instead of tears of sorrow, they looked more like tears of joy, like she was relieved the hardest part was over. Finally, her playing softened. The song was coming to a close. With one final arpeggio, her hands alternated up and down the keys until she struck the final note that echoed for what felt like an eternity. She let her hands rest on the keyboard, eyes closed. After a moment, she turned to Hajime with tears in her eyes.

"Will it reach him?"