Olive blood pooled on the metal flooring of the laboratory in the Veil, mixing with royal blue. She wasn't dead, but with the severe pain in her head and her vision blurring and spinning, she wished she was. Her dearest friend lay limp beside her, no breath or the beat of someone else's heart to comfort her in her agony. No friend to try to comfort in his, either, even if his pride wouldn't allow it. The girl's eyes closed, the unshed tears now dripping down her cheeks and her nose to be lost in the green underneath her head. Make it stop. She tried to will the pain away. Or her life. The latter seemed more likely.
A distraction would be nice. Nepeta imagined her days up until this moment. First of all, her friends. Equius, now lying beside her, coming off of his high horse (h33 h33 h33) to help Tavros. A month before they started playing Sgrub, would he have done that? Terezi, her chum in friendly role playing! Sigh, it will be no more.. Tavros, another role playing friend! It was great to see his confidence boost with his new legs, even if it was phony. Aradia, another role play friend. A lot of those, aren't there? She wished she could have thanked the Rose human for letting her talk to her sprite.. it really was a lot a comfort when she missed Pounce.
The Leo thought about the game they had been playing and the adventure that they got mixed up in, leading to this. It was all so much fun, albeit dangerous. She got to meet all of her friends in person, play with them, and she got to meet him in person...
How did she ever get to know him again? That's right! Terezi. She introduced the two of them one day. He was mean at first, but it was actually a cover up for him being a big softy. Nepeta's thoughts were momentarily broken up by the escape of a whimper and a fresh round of tears. She didn't know if the room was getting foggier from her tears or because her soul was blinking away, closer to the afterlife. A shudder broke through the cat girl's body and her lip trembled.
That boy. She fell for him immediately. She just knew he was the one. Something deep down inside her told her that, and she didn't quite understand it, but when your heart tells you something you know it's true. He truly cared about his friends, even if he denied it. He was always there to help. She just... She just wished that he was here to help her, too. Nepeta could almost feel the other troll's arms wrap around her as she was pulled into his lap, held tightly against him. His stubby fingers would brush through her blood caked hair, trying to talk to her comfortingly, but his real emotions would seep through and his voice would crack. Because he cared about her.
Sniffling, the olive blooded troll watched as her world was getting darker and her limbs were getting number. She never regretted the way she acted around that boy, or her advances toward him. She only wished that he would have shown genuine interest in her instead of just her mind playing tricks on her. Was he glancing at her? Was that the hint of a smile?
The small cat girl's body went limp, her heart beat slowed, her breathing so shallow until it was finally silent. Thirteen years were over, and one so young had already experienced so much. Another casualty in this twisted game. Was she even going to be missed?
Whether it was one last wish from a young girl's heart, the afterlife, or something that could happen that she glimpsed as her soul passed from one world to the next, Nepeta saw Karkat wrap his arms around her and pull her close, his eyes telling her everything she had wanted to hear. I love you, too. And her breath was taken away, in the best of ways, as matching pairs of ebony lips locked.
Whatever happens now, Nepeta Leijon is ready to march on and face it with the full strength she knows she has.