Chapter Text
"Do you... want me to stay?"
Clover took in her question and contemplated on the answer he was going to give her. He has been nothing but selfless in his time in the underground, due to his kindhearted nature which is a branch of his trait for justice. Though, as selfless he has been so far, maybe he can be selfish just this once, especially in his last moments. He knows it would hurt her, to see another child die in her presence. Of course, he didn't want to hurt her, he didn't want her to see another one die in front of her. Yet, he didn't want to be alone when he dies, he felt... scared. So, he answered her question:
"..."
"Please..."
Ceroba received her answer and gently placed down the container containing the yellow soul which belonged to Clover. Upon her first step toward Clover, she witnessed them suddenly placing their hand on their chest, grasping at the cloth. She saw their expression changed into a pained one. She saw how they were about to fall over, she wasted no time catching them in her arms. She held them very delicately as she watched that expression of discomfort never leave their face as their breathing slowed and their hand continued to grasp at the cloth at the center of their chest.
This all seemed horrifyingly familiar to her and she knew why. She held them the way she held her own child, Kanako, after she collapsed from the failed serum she put in her. Another child was going to die in her arms, all because she couldn't say no. She couldn't say no to Kanako volunteering to have the serum injected into her. She couldn't say no to Clover offering to give up his soul just to bring monsterkind one step closer to freedom.
She never learned from her mistake, why couldn't she just say no? She's pathetic, a terrible mother, a horrible person. She couldn't save her husband from his own work, she put her own daughter through hell, she has deceived and hurt everyone who is close to her just so she could selfishly finish a false legacy, and she almost killed an innocent child, all the while emotionally wounding them with her betrayal. She closed her eyes and shed tears.
"No..."
Ceroba's ears picked up the weak and breathless voice of Clover, she opened her eyes to see Clover in her arms, looking at her with an expression that looked like he knew what she was thinking. Was she that obvious or did Clover know her more than she anticipated?
"Don't... say... that you're... a bad person..."
"Don't... say that... you're... a bad mother..."
Ceroba listened to Clover as he spoke with a weak tone and struggled to breathe, she wished she could agree, she wished that whatever he said was true, but she wasn't. She hurt too much people for that to be true, that included Clover. She's a bad person, a terrible mother, a horrible friend. She's a-
"You loved her... right?"
Ceroba's thoughts stopped as she heard Clover say that.
"You... think yourself terrible... because you hurt her..."
"But... you never really meant to hurt her..."
"You loved her..."
"That... doesn't make you... a bad mother..."
How would he know? Ceroba put her own daughter through the worst what anyone could suffer. She's a terrible mother because she didn't have the willpower to stop herself from saying yes to Kanako.
"Because... I know... what a bad mother... looks like..."
Ceroba peered into the dying eyes of Clover and she could see in the child's eyes, a life wracked with pain and sadness. When she heard him say that he would know what a bad mother looked like and combine what she saw within Clover's eyes. She felt horrified.
Ceroba continued to listen to Clover as he weakly spoke in his final moments.
"You... didn't... have... to ask... to stay... with me..."
"But you did... because... you cared..."
"You're not... a bad person... because... you care..."
"You're not... a bad mother... because you love..."
"You... did... what you did... because... you cared... because... you loved..."
"There's... nothing... wrong... with that..."
Ceroba feels conflicted. Ceroba is still in denial of the things Clover said to her. She just can't believe she was ever a good person after the things she has done. Yet, she did not want to deny or outright refuse the things the dying child said to her in their final moments.
"Lastly..."
It seemed like these will be Clover's final words. She braced herself for whatever he has to say. She listened with full attention as this will be the last time she'll ever hear from Clover alive.
"You're... not a bad mother..."
".. because..."
In a swift motion that almost made Ceroba flinch, Clover used whatever remaining strength he had left to lift himself up and give the kitsune a hug. Clover spoke his final words to Ceroba:
"...because..."
"...I love you..."
"...Mama..."
Ceroba's eyes widened as she took moments to process what Clover just said. But the moment she fully processed his last words, she heard Clover takes his final breath and felt his body become completely limp, falling out of his hug and laid on her lap, lifeless.
"Clover... Clover..."
She called out to the human child she held in her arms, but there was no answer. His eyes were completely lifeless, all that remained was his content smile.
"Clover... Please..."
She called out to the human child, desperate for at least an answer, despite being in a state of lifelessness. She thought she was ready when Clover finally dies. She thought that she could keep herself stable when the human child took their last breath. But she wasn't.
She couldn't hold it in and let it all out. She broke down, unleashing a sorrowful wail as she shed waterfalls, all the while tightly holding onto the lifeless body of Clover.
"I'm so sorry..."
She quietly said as she continued to let it all out.
To her, today was a lot like what she thought was the worst day of her life. THAT particular day.
And on that day, a mother grieved over the loss of her child.
