What Came After Sunset
She doesn't respond to the knock on the door, only showing that she heard with the slight twitch of a tear-soaked eyelid.
The knocking continues.
She continues to ignore it.
"Did I tell you that I'm taking you out tomorrow night?"
"What? You are?!"
"Of course! You didn't forget your own birthday, did you?"
"...Only a little. N-not that it matters!"
"Oh, you silly... Come here."
Memories are all that is left of her. The good and the bad, the better and the worse. No amount of wishing on any sort of star can hope to repair what is left of her heart.
Another solitary knock, this time less harsh, and followed quickly by a thud against the hallway floor outside.
She wipes her eyes and blows her nose for what seems like the thousandth time, staying put. What did memories matter, when it would only take a single second to be with her aga-
No.
Stand up.
"I brought you flowers. But, eh, you might want to leave them here. Can't take them on ol' Gallop, can we?"
"Your old motorcycle? Why did you..."
"I just wanted tonight to be special. Like our first one."
"How could I ever forget that train wreck?"
"Please don't remind me."
"Hey, you're the one bringing it up! And the flowers are nice, but I do hope you have another something special on you. It ismy birthday!"
"By the gods, she remembers! This is truly a miracle!"
"Hey! Watch it, or no kisses for a week!"
"Ahahaha-okay I'm stopping now."
"Are you in there? If you are, you'd better be presentable."
She drags herself out of her misery to recognize the sound of a key sliding into the lock, remembering all too late about the key hidden under the painting.
The doorknob clicks, and a ray of light breaks into the small bedroom, painting the enclosed room in colours.
"You're a mess. But... I guess I can understand."
Adagio looks better than she did yesterday, the bags under her eyes not as pronounced and her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. Her fingers, though, still twitch and dance across her skin, grasping at her left arm for something that was no longer there.
"I came to see how you've been holding up. Need more tissues?"
It's not sarcasm, given how many are strewn across the bed and floor in sticky wads.
"I'm... I'm fine. Please get out."
She stares a moment longer, reaching over to squeeze her friend's limp hand. "I left you your dinner outside. It's your favourite."
"It was hers too."
Adagio is silent again as she stands, giving her one last look over. "Dear... You have to move on at some point. At least leave your room. Just..." She searches for words. "Well, no one can grieve forever..."
"I can try!"
She says no more, turning back to the door. The pain in her eyes is more evident than what she was letting on, though she tries to hide it. Adagio's last words almost escape her ears as the door closes, but she still hears the single sentence.
"...I miss her too."
"Ack! You haven't driven this fast since the time you nearly got pulled over!"
"What can I say? I'm feeling rather... Rebellious, is it?"
"Ahahaha! You, a rebel? Never!"
"Oh, stop with the mocking. You know that this bad girl still has a heart beneath her icy shell."
"A frozen one, maybe."
"You're just angry that you can't open your present yet!"
"A little bit. But c'mon, you've gotta- Watch out!"
"What?!"
---
The crashing sound of her memories are almost in sync with the slam of the door. Adagio forgot to lock it on her way out.
"Uh... Hey."
It's Aria. Ever emotionless Aria, her eyes almost as red as the former's but certainly dryer.
"I... You know, heard Adagio talking to you, and since..."
Her twin pigtails twitch as she coughs awkwardly, bringing her hand out from behind her back. A bundle of flowers are clasped together, with a single white ribbon tying them all together.
When she sees the flowers her eyes widen, and she clamps a hand over her mouth to stop a wail.
Aria brought white lillies.
Unnecessary death.
With a sob she breaks down again, hand still clasped over her mouth. It's all too real, and yet it doesn't seem to exist at all.
"She's never coming back!"
Aria bites her lip, her own eyes watering. The flowers crash to the ground.
"I... I know."
She moves slowly at first, then before the other can react Aria has pulled her into a firm hug, hand grasping at the suit she refused to change out of.
Wordlessly, she hugs Aria back, and whispers through the tears, "It's all my fault."
"N-no! Where are you?!"
"Miss, please calm down! There's nothing you can do!"
"You don't understand! My girlfriend is in there! I have to save her! Please, I have to!"
"You'll just be damning yourself! Miss, I'm sorry, but you have to step away from the fire!"
"No! Let me go! You can't-"
"The gas line is going to go any second now! Get back!"
"But-"
"Get to safety! Now!"
---
"I couldn't save her, Aria! The car came too fast, and on the edge of the bridge- But the last thing she did was push me off the bike! She saved me, and payed for it, and... And now she's dead!"
As she glanced off the road for a fraction of a second to look at the girl behind her, the driver of the motorcycle didn't notice the car until her girlfriend screamed.
"Watch out!"
"What?!"
She spun, jerking the steering wheel as she did, causing the entire bike to skid off the the side and into the path of a concrete divider.
The driver froze, and in that moment a pair of hands pushed into her leather jacket from behind, throwing her off the front of the cycle and onto the ashphalt.
"Wait-!"
The vehicle crashed into the barrier, the inferno springing to life almost immediately, the figure left on the bike slamming forwards with a sickening crunch. The driver screamed, and ran forwards-
Just as the entire motorcycle burst into flames.
"Sonata!"
The morning light found her asleep in Aria's arms, tear tracks sticky down the side of her face. Her hands clutched at the other girl in her sleep, faces finally relaxed in what could almost be called a smile.
A sad one, but a smile nontheless.
And in her dreams she could almost feel the ghost of a hand on her back, pushing her forwards and to safety, with the last words she would ever hear from her girlfriend:
"I love you, Sunset."
