Asylum ⌜Nagito Komeada⌟

Chapter One

Nagito Komeada cautiously made his way into the basement. The wooden stairs were rotted and the entire place reeked of mildew. He carried a rusted metal tray in one hand as his other slid down the rail.

The sight that greeted him at the bottom of the stairs was not a pretty one. He frowned, stepping off of the last stair.

A female was secured to a large metal pole in the center of the room. Her body was wrapped in a long metal chain, arms forced down to her sides. Her legs were tied together, preventing her from standing up. And a metal collar was fastened around her neck, connecting to the pole.

Her head lolled to the side, her thinning, dirty (H/C) hair falling in front of her face. Her lips were dry and split, blood trickling down her chin. Nagito could tell she was in poor condition as she took in ragged breaths.

"(Y/N)?" Nagito called out, stepping closer to the female. "(Y/N), wake up."

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes revealing dull (E/C) orbs. She tossed her head to the other side, unable to keep it up. "K...Komeada?" She croaked. "Is...Is that...you?"

She looked over at the tray in his hand. "Is...Is it feeding time?" She did her best to sit up straight and tried to get out of her chains.

Nagito felt utter sadness for the girl in front of him. He watched her struggle against the chains, a frown spreading across his features. He felt his heart tug.

Doing his best to remain positive, he forced a smile before sitting down on the concrete. He sat the tray in his lap, glancing up at her.

"Are...are you going to feed me?" (Y/N) questioned in a whisper. Her innocent look made Nagito melt.

"Of course," Nagito responded. "Why wouldn't I?"

She adjusted herself, trying to find a more comfortable position. "J-Junko usually does it...but she either throws it at me...o-or puts it just beyond my reach."

Nagito sighed, brushing her dirty (H/C) hair out of her face. "Well, I'm going to be here instead of Junko for a while, okay? Now open wide."

He stuck a spoonful of cold soup into her mouth. She swallowed, her face twisting in disgust. The boy ran a hand through his white hair before sighing again. He stuck another spoonful of soup in her mouth, and another, and another, until she finished the whole bowl.

(Y/N) spat on the ground before breaking out into a coughing fit. Her face turned a sickly color as she leaned her head against the pole.

Concerned, Nagito pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. He frowned, retracting it. "You're burning up."

The albino stood up and grabbed the empty tray. "I'll be right back—I'm going to grab some medicine."

"No!" (Y/N) pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. "I-...don't go! I can't be alone! Not again!"

She swallowed, shaking her head profusely. "I...I might forget you. I've already forgotten so much. I just...I can't."

"As much as I despise Junko, I loved her company...Because at least she's there...and I hate Mukuro...but she comes when Junko can't...and hey! She's company too."

Her body shook and she squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't...I can't..." She looked up at him. "Stay...please."

"I'll be right back," he told her. "I promise, okay?"

"...Okay."

Nagito gave her a small smile before retreating back upstairs.

Trying to keep her sanity, she closed her eyes, letting her eyelashes flutter against her skin. He'd be back, he would be back for her.

She drowned out the other voices in her head, solely focusing on his face, his voice. She would no forget him, never forget him.

The creaking of the stairs brought her out of her trance. She opened her eyes, looking over at the doorway. Nagito stood there, his left hand in a fist while his right held a glass of water.

"You're back," she gasped, tears blurring her vision. "You're really back." (Y/N) began to sob out of happiness and relief.

He headed over to her, kneeling beside her. He set the glass of water down and wrapped his arms around her.

"I told you I would be back," he cooed. He rubbed her chained back as she sobbed. "No need to cry, I'm right here."

"Nagito," (Y/N) cried as she buried her head in his shoulder. "You-I-"

"Shhh," Nagito whispered into her ear. He smiled. "You said my name...see, you didn't forget me."

She smiled, despite still being tied up to a pole. "Yeah..." She sniffed,

"I brought medicine." Nagito uncurled his fingers, revealing the pink pill sitting in his palm.

(Y/N) frowned. "Junko makes me take those so I go to sleep."

"But it'll help with your cold. And I promise, I'll be right here when you wake up."

Hesitantly, she opened her mouth and Nagito popped the pill inside, pouring some water in her mouth. Her face scrunched up at the taste, but she didn't notice as her eyes became droopy.

Her (E/C) eyes looked over at Nagito who offered her a small smile. She smiled in returned and let her eyes close, resting her head on his shoulder.

Nagito ran a hand through her hair. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

"Thank you."

The albino boy listened as her breathing became steady and her soft snores echoed throughout the room. He felt utter compassion for (Y/N). He had been in her shoes once.

It was back when he first became a Remnant of Despair. Of course, he never truly became a Remnant. The video had never affected him, but after seeing the despair-ridden looks on his friend's faces, he knew he had to play along.

Junko had captured him and he had played along with her little game, pretending he had given in to despair. He had been through exactly what she was going through for—what had it been? A year or two? It was hard to keep track of time these days—and obeyed Junko's commands.

He wasn't on despair's side. And as much as he loathed the word, he knew had to play along all in the name of hope. He had been fighting for hope this entire time, right under Junko's nose.

And the despair never would guess that her most loyal servant was double-crossing her.

So, Nagito waited. He played along with her little games, moving his way up in her ranks until he was one of her most trusted servants. And when the time was right, he would strike.

But (Y/N) wasn't like the other Remnants. Heck—she was never a Remnant. She was just a poor, confused girl caught up in this mess.

Junko and her top servants—Her sister, Mukuro, along with Izuru, Mikan, and Nagito, had come across her on a raid. She had been laying across the cold concrete of the basement of an abandoned house. She had been barely alive, her breaths ragged and her eyes drooping.

They had expected Junko to just leave her to die, or perhaps kill her. But to their surprise, she did no such thing.

(Y/N) had trouble recalling her past, so Junko used that to her advantage. She made her believe that they were the good guys and the Future Foundation were the bad guys. And (Y/N), not knowing any better, believed her.

So Junko took her in, still treating her like crap, but it was better than her prior conditions.

Nagito sighed, tucking a lock of (Y/N)'s (H/C) hair behind her ear. She might not remember him, but he remembered her. Her laugh, her smile, everything.

He headed upstairs, returning with a blanket and a pillow. He laid down on the concrete and intertwined his hand with hers. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.