Chapter Text
The usual air of animosity surrounded Kuroba and Clover, but there just seemed to be more of it today. But Kuroba couldn't care less. They just wanted to get home so that they wouldn't have to spend any more time than necessary with Clover. Just had to get past this overpass and the rest of the trip should seemingly fly by.
“Come on, just tell Clo already, Ver,” they heard Kanako whisper to Clover. Sounds like Kanako and Clover were having a conversation. Eh, Kuroba didn't care.
“No. Not like they're not gonna listen to me, anyways,” Clover whispered back.
“And what makes you think that?”
“I… It’s nothing… Don't worry about it.”
Sounds like Clover didn’t want to speak either. Good. The less interaction between them the better.
“Fine. If you won't tell them, I will.”
“K-Kanako, wait!”
Kuroba felt a tug on their jacket, obviously from Kanako.
“What’s up, Kan?” Kuroba asked, pretending that they hadn't been inadvertently eavesdropping.
“Ver's got an issue at school,” Kanako said. “They're being bullied.”
“And what do you want me to do about it?”
“Huh?”
“You're both in middle school while I'm in high school. I can't exactly waltz in there to help you.” (Plus you just don't want to do anything for Clover.)
“See,” Clover spoke up, “told you they weren't gonna listen. And that’s perfectly fine by me.”
“Oh, and why is that?” Kuroba asked, a bit mockingly.
“You know why. Because you’d do anything you could to make it worse.”
“Is that really what you think of me?”
“Yes!” Clover shouted, taking Kuroba aback. “Because I know you hate me! You just want to make everything worse for me! You just want me to suffer! So just stop! Please! Just don’t mess with my life! Let this be the ONE thing I have for myself!”
“Do you know that I want to make things worse for you?”
“My mental health is kinda a big point! Do you wanna know something? You REALLY wanna know? I think it’s WORSE than with those two! And I KNOW that you’ve noticed but not done anything! YOU ARE BEING WORSE FOR MY MENTAL HEALTH THAN MOM AND DAD WERE!”
That got to Kuroba. Their slight mocking nature towards Clover vanished in an instant and their anger flared up in its place. How dare Clover compare them to those two? Much less actually refer to them.
“Oh, you did NOT just go there.”
“Well I did! Because it’s true! You are singlehandedly making me feel LESS than worthless, and I didn’t even know that was possible! Have you forgotten what you’d said to me four years ago? I haven’t! I’ve been replaying that in my mind over and over for nearly a year now! So excuuuuse me for blaming you for making everything so much worse for me! Axe forgets but the tree remembers!!”
“Oh, you’re just as much of an axe,” Kuroba rebutted. “Have you forgotten what you’ve done to me?”
“How the hell COULD I when it’s been haunting me as well? What, you think that just because I did all of that you get to treat me like shit?! Hell–no, FUCK no! That shit’s not justice at all, it’s just being fucking petty as hell! God, Mom and Dad would be soooo fucking proud of you right now, making me feel like shit for an exaggerated reason! Yeah you can hate me for it, but this is too fucking far, Kuro!”
“Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” Kuroba screamed. They gave Clover a shove.
Their biggest mistake.
Clover stumbled backwards, tripped over their tail, and went right over the railing. Right into the road below.
Kuroba’s rage faded as soon as Clover went backwards, as both they and Kanako had shrieked out Clover’s name, as they reached out their hand to try and catch Clover, as they missed and tried their best to give Clover a shield, as they saw Clover get hit by a car, as they stood there mortified with their arm outstretched, knowing that they had caused that to happen.
They couldn’t move. (“Clo…”) They couldn’t breathe. (“Clo…!”) They could barely hear anything. (“Clo!!!”) They just watched, eyes wide, staring as the driver who hit Clover got out of their car and rushed to them. (“Clover!!!”)
They had never wanted to die again more in their life than in this moment.
“Kuroba!” they finally heard Kanako say, trying to get them to snap out of it. “Come on, we have to get Ver.”
“Clover… CLOVER!”
They hopped the fence and dashed down to get Clover, hoping that maybe they could do something, anything, to help Clover. (Please, GOD, don’t die.) They reached Clover and knelt down.
“Clover! Clover!! C’mon, wake up! Please!”
Clover slowly opened their eyes, reacting to the desperation in Kuroba’s voice.
“Ku… ro… ba…?” they pathetically managed to get out.
“Thank God,” Kuroba said in response. “Clover, I’m. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be… You’re getting… what you want… right…?”
“No, no, I’m not. I. I never wanted this. I. Please. Please don’t die.”
“Heh… no… promises…”
Clover closed their eyes, losing consciousness.
Kuroba did something they never thought they would do. They hugged Clover. They cried for them. They actually cared about and for them.
(There has to be something, SOMETHING, you can do. But you already gave them a shield… That’s not gonna do much against a car, they had to have taken a lot of damage. And their HP only goes up to 20 now, so they’re bound to… be… low… THAT’S IT! JUST HEAL THEM! … [shoot] you don’t have any gunpowder on you. Guess you have to do it yourself.)
They tried their best, giving as many little green magic clovers to help bring Clover’s HP up from whatever low amount they had. Sure, it… wouldn’t… fully help… But as long as Clover was alive, that’s all that mattered.
A short time later, an ambulance came. Apparently the person in the car called for it after they had rushed to Clover. Kuroba and Kanako stood on the sidewalk, watching Clover get loaded in.
“What are we going to tell Mom and Martlet?” Kanako asked.
“I… I don’t know,” Kuroba replied. “Telling them the truth would be best, but…” They looked down at their own quivering hands. They didn’t have the finish that thought, Kanako already knew how it would end.
They clenched their fists.
“Come on. We need to go visit Clover.”