The gruff voice was all too familiar to Katarina. The heel dug itself harder into her back, as Gangplank leered over her. He kicked her in the ribs, causing her to roll onto her back, clutching her side in pain. Replacing his foot on her stomach, Gangplank took out his cutlass and pointed it towards her exposed neck.
"You thought you could wander around these woods alone? You really are stupid" Gangplank chuckled, slowly nicking her cheek with his cutlass. Katarina winced, feeling a small trickle of blood run down her face.
"D-damn you. You r-really are a c-coward" Katarina groaned, still clutching her ribs.
"I'm just using the same tactics you used against me earlier" Gangplank sneered, retracting his cutlass and pulling out his pistol. Removing his boot from her stomach, he backed off, his pistol aimed straight at her face.
"It seems you're all out of luck" gangplank cocked his pistol, readying himself for the kill shot. Katarina closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact. What seemed like an eternity passed, as Katarina kept her eyes tight shut. A sudden cry of anguish caused Katarina to snap open her eyes. A burly figure had thrown themselves between herself and Gangplank. It was Garen.
"G-Garen?" Katarina gasped, as Garen unsheathed his sword. Gangplank had trained his pistol at Garen now, an angry scowl on his face.
"What the hell are you doing, Garen? She's the enemy! Stand aside!"
"Leave her. She is small time"
"Small time? She stabbed me in the back! I demand retribution!"
"Save it for the battlefield. You know the policy: No killing outside of matches"
"Fuck the rules. You can die with her, you traitor" Gangplank fired at Garen, the shot glancing off his shoulder guard. Garen reeled to the floor, his shoulder throbbing. Without thinking, Garen reached into his belt and drew out Katarina's dagger. With a quick flick of the wrist, he launched it towards Gangplank. It struck him in his left arm, causing him to drop his pistol. Gangplank let out a roar of pain, his right arm reaching for his cutlass. Running off adrenaline, Garen rose quickly, his sword in hand. As he reached Gangplank, his cutlass was already out and steel met as they clashed. Katarina had risen into a sitting position. She crawled towards the bottom of a tree, staying out of the way of the fight. Gangplank was countering Garen's harsh blows with ease, even though he was duelling with only one arm. Launching a powerful kick into Garen's chest, Gangplank gained the upper hand, as Garen few backwards. Crashing into a bush, the thick foliage found its way around him, immobilising him. Gangplank laughed, triumphantly, leaping forward to deliver the final cut. A loud bang rang out in the darkness, causing Garen to flinch. Gangplank let out a loud roar, falling short of Garen and crashed into the ground, a spurt of blood erupting from his chest. Garen struggled against his bonds.
"Now we're even" came a voice from behind Gangplank. Garen saw Katarina, still rooted to the floor, holding Gangplanks pistol. It was smoking slightly.
"Katarina? You shot him?"
"No, this gun shot him. I just happened to be holding it" Katarina pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and crawled over to Garen. He offered a hand and he took it. She pulled him out of the thicket. His face had a few scratches from brambles, but apart from a winded stomach and a bruised shoulder, he seemed fine. Getting onto his feet, Garen offered his hand to Katarina.
"As much as you look good down there, you need to get out of this forest" Garen grabbed her hand and hoisted her onto her feet. Her back ached, which caused her to wobble slightly. Garen grabbed her in a firm embrace and picked her up in his arms. Making his way back towards the clearing, Garen looked into Katarina's face. She had passed out through exhaustion and was drooling slightly on his chest plate.
"Sleep well. You'll need your strength for later" Garen purred, pulling her closer to his chest. He trudged slowly into the clearing, the moon now slowly descending into the forest. Garen walked up the tree he had previously tied her to and laid her down at its roots. He pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around her body. Leaning forward, he softly kissed her forehead.
"Have a good sleep, Black Widow" Garen shuffled up beside her on the tree and yawned widely. He stared longingly at Katarina, but the tiredness of the night quickly took hold of him and he slumped into a deep sleep.
Garen awoke to the sound of birds chirping. The sun was out and the sky was dotted with clouds. Looking round to where Katarina was, Garen saw an empty cloak crumpled at the bottom of the tree. Smiling to himself, he turned around. Katarina had slunk around the tree and surprised him as he turned around.
"Gah! What the…" Garen flinched, as Katarina giggled cheekily.
"Hey. Look thanks for last night. I would have been killed if you hadn't of shown up"
"Don't worry. You saved me too. So let's just say we're quits now" Garen smiled, extending a hand. Katarina looked down and brushed it away.
"I don't want a handshake" Katarina cocked her leg over Garen and straddled him. "I want to finish what we started" Garen's heart leapt, as Katarina grinned sexily at him. Garen looked into her eyes. He saw the shimmering light he had seen the night before. He knew what she wanted. Slowly, he leant towards her cheek and caressed it with his own. He whispered the two words that Katarina had been waiting to hear all morning:
"Come here"