Work Text:
Sonetto's body lies limply on the ground, her body battered and bloody from all the injuries she got from that gruesome battle to end the storm. Her arcanum is all spent in casting that spell to stop it.
They say that once the storm passes, the sun's light shines down into the land, it's soft rays lighting up the whole surroundings, a testament of the storm ending, a new beginning in life.
Sonetto is the 'sun' to that 'storm'. Casting such a spell has its consequences, that being death to the caster themselves, especially to the grievousness of the wounds she has. Sonetto knew that, but she doesn't regret doing it.
If it meant keeping everyone safe, her friends, her family, especially Vertin and Schneider, then it's worth the sacrifice for.
Her breathing is getting ragged, her body growing weaker than it already is, her eyes are getting blurry too, barely able to see her surroundings, and her ears are growing muffled, a ringing sound engulfing her ears. Sonetto's losing consciousness little by little. She's dying.
But it brings no sadness to her, for she has protected the one she cares about, along with saving everyone from the storm and the ones who got reversed by it, giving them a chance to live once more.
After a few moments lying there, she hears footsteps approaching, they seem to call out to her, their voices are familiar against her deafening ears.
"Sonetto! Can you hear us?!" Sonetto immediately recognizes this voice. It's the one she'll never forget, like the back of her hand. It's Vertin.
"Amore mio, where are you?!" Only one person calls her with this pet name. Schneider.
"This apple can see someone lying on the ground several feet away from us." It's Mr. APPLe's voice she hears right now.
"I can see them now! Wait.. is that Sonetto..? It is her! Quick, follow me!" It seems to be Regulus this time, her accent is recognizable at this distance.
They quickly approached Sonetto, but stopped dead in their tracks once they saw the severity of Sonetto's injuries. Schneider quickly recovered from her stupor and dropped to her knees, and gently pulled Sonetto into her arms, Vertin following suit, holding Sonetto's hand in hers, not intending to let go.
Regulus soon recovered too, and hurriedly went to call for help to treat Sonetto, bringing Mr. APPLe with her. Vertin nodded and turned her head back to Sonetto.
Upon closer look, Vertin can see just how bad Sonetto's wounds are. Her right arm has a big gash on it, and she seems to have broken a few ribs, by the way she's having trouble breathing. Her head is bleeding, which is resting against Schneider's right chest, the former cradling her head delicately. There's a big wound around her stomach, the blood flowing from it grew underneath them.
Vertin's face turned pale. There's no way Sonetto's going to survive this, not with these injuries. She pushed this thought to the very back of her mind, and tried to be optimistic, despite the clear implications of the situation at hand.
Sonetto coughed up some blood in her mouth, drawing their attention to her.
She smiled at them, "Vertin... S-schneider, you're both here...".
"Of course, why wouldn't we be, old woman? Afraid that we've forgotten about you?" Schneider couldn't help but to throw in a little jest, yet the gentleness of her voice is a stark contrast to her words.
"Hmmm... maybe... after a-all, I'm here all wounded h-here..." Sonetto coughed out more blood out of her mouth, wincing in pain.
"Shh, save your strength, Sonetto. Regulus went out to get help along with Mr. APPLe." Vertin clutched Sonetto's right hand tighter, but not tight enough to hurt her.
Sonetto started to cough a lot harder, the harsh sound brought pain to Vertin and Schneider's hearts. Sonetto whimpered from the unbearable pain it caused to her, but still showed that endearing smile they both love from her.
"You have to hold on a little longer and live, Sonetto. I h-haven't shown you the rest of the world, of how beautiful it can be despite the flaws people created to it." Vertin's voice started to waver, the mask of calm indifference she displayed in front of everyone started to break, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You showed me enough... V-vertin.." Sonetto uttered, still smiling for them, in spite of the pain she's feeling right now.
"Resisti e basta, amore mio, you'll be fine. I have so many stories to tell you about our country, our heritage, and the beautiful places in Sicily. So... so you have to stay strong, Sonetto, or else...!" Schneider muttered, there's no ill intention evident from those words. She holds Sonetto closer, gently repositioning her head on her chest to make her more comfortable. She's tearing up as well.
"You... already told me a lot, Schneider..." Sonetto stated, snuggling closer to Schneider.
Listening to the latter's heartbeat is therapeutic, making Sonetto feel safe and sound.
"D-don't worry, Sonetto, help is on the way here. They're going to patch you up, and after that, let's go home, okay?" Vertin said, her voice trembling. She squeezed the hand softly griping Sonetto's. Sonetto squeezed back, albeit weakly.
"I'm already... home..." Sonetto quietly said with a small, tired smile on her face. You're both my home, Vertin, Schneider'.
Her face shows contentment, being around the two women she holds dear to her heart is enough to put her at ease.
All at once, she sees her life flash before her eyes, seeing her precious memories with everyone in the suitcase.
Regulus and her love for Dr. Papper, along with her records, playing them from time to time with everyone. Mr. APPLe doing crosswords in record time, showcasing his intelligence. Sotheby showing a new potion she made, her eyes sparkling like the stars, displaying her eagerness. Druvis tending her garden, while humming a small tune . Lilya drinks her vodka while she cleans her precious Su-01вe. Ms. Moissan and her gentle voice, teaching young children with a smile.
Finally, Vertin and Schneider leisurely enjoy the afternoon with tea and some desserts with her, talking about anything that comes across their minds, smiling and laughing along the way. Both of them look at her with so much love and adoration, one Sonetto thinks that she doesn't deserve to have.
'I never got the chance to reciprocate their love for me, haven't I..?'
Sacrificing herself didn't make her sad, but leaving her due amate does.
Schneider and Vertin are uttering words of assurance to her, their voices lulling her to sleep. An eternal one.
She closes her eyes while silently bursting into tears, her tears gently trickling down her face. Her breathing gets slower and slower. Her body grew numb now, barely feeling any pain anymore.
"Ti amo, mia luna, mia stella..." Sonetto mumbled weakly for the last time.
Her head gently slumps onto Schneider's chest, her body going slack, the hand holding Vertin's falls limply.
The two immediately froze up and looked at Sonetto's face.
"Sonetto..?"
Vertin called out, but Sonetto didn't stir. Her chest didn't rise and fall anymore. They started to panic now.
"Sonetto..? C-cucciola, don't joke around here, this isn't funny, okay?" Schneider gently shook Sonetto, but she won't respond. She puts her head on Sonetto's chest to listen to her heartbeat.
She hears nothing.
Schneider looks up to Vertin, her tears falling freely from her eyes, reflecting the hurt and despair she feels, shaking her head.
Vertin broke.
She lets out a wail of pure sorrow, bending down on Sonetto's stomach, her tears mixing with the blood on the latter's clothes.
"No... Please, Sonetto, open your eyes...! Sonetto! " she begs, a futile thing to do.
Schneider looks at Vertin in anguish, "Cuore mio, my lord, stop... She's... she's gone now. No amount of begging is going to bring her back." it hurts to say these words, but it's the cold reality they now face.
After a few minutes, Vertin's cries subsided, but she still whimpers occasionally. She raised her head to leave a kiss to Sonetto's lips, Schneider doing the same after her, a parting gift. Her skin is cold to the touch now.
"Rest in peace, Sonetto, we love you too..."
They just sat there silently, with the occasional whimpers from Vertin and quiet, little hiccups from Schneider, until they heard footsteps approaching them. They turned their heads to the source of the sound and saw Regulus running towards them, with Mr. APPLe floating next to her. A few Foundation staff are following right after the two, carrying a stretcher.
"Vertin, Schneider! This pirate found some Foundation staff nearby! It took a while for us to get here since they're treating other people too. I saw Druvis and Lilya, they are doing fine right now, while Ms. Moissan is aiding those who need help, with Sotheby assisting her," Regulus enthusiastically informed them, but soon noticed their downcast expression.
"Ms. Vertin, is there something wrong?" Mr. APPLe spoke this time.
"It's too late now, she's gone, Mr. APPLe, Regulus.."
Regulus' eyes widened from shock, "Oh no... if I had been faster, she would've still-"
"No, it's okay, Regulus, it's not your fault. S-sonetto suffered a lot of injuries, and she lost a lot of blood in the process..." Vertin said in a hushed tone.
Two foundation staff approached them, the stretcher laid out in front of them, the first one spoke to them, "Timekeeper, Ms. Schneider, please let go of Ms. Sonetto so we can put her on the stretcher" Vertin and Schneider are reluctant to let her go, but did so as asked. They watched the foundation staff lay Sonetto onto the stretcher and cover her in a white clothe, taking her away from them.
"What are we going to do now, my lord..?" Schneider asked after a moment of silence.
It's one of the times when Vertin feels so lost and hopeless, "I don't know, Schneider, I don't know.."
Even if the world is finally saved from the storm, light seeping through the clouds, their future looks bleak in comparison.
The sun who lights up their world is gone, leaving a gaping hole in their hearts for as long as they live.
Fin.