Author's Note: Wow, this chapter is amazingly depressing. But stay tuned for the epilogue. Purrlease. Even if I just ripped out your hopes and dreams and ran them over with a lawn mower.
The thought finally forced its way into Nepeta's brain, and a whole new kind of fear and torment gripped her like a steel claw. It made her want to burst, stronger than the feelings brought on by the death of her lusus and her ancient love for Karkat combined.
And there was absolutely nothing Nepeta could do but…
The grate popped out from the wall and fell to the ground with a clang as Nepeta threw her body against it. Her claws flashed out and she pounced, tail streaming out behind her. From deep within her she uttered a deep guttural hiss, approaching Gamzee at rapid speeds. He was her matesprit, but at the same time he wasn't, and he had killed her moirail. Revenge had never been more necessary in all of time and space.
She flew through the air in almost slow motion, but all too soon she was just a foot away from Gamzee when, quick as lightning, he caught her wrist in his hand and bent it until it broke, all in one fluid motion.
As she hung in the air, suspended by some ungodly force, he pulled her closer and scraped her claws across his face, leaving three long scars that instantly began to bleed indigo. The blood trickled over his left eye and stuck to his smeared makeup, creating a sticky gel that coated his cheek. Once the scars stretched over the length of his face, he let go of her arm, and she fell to the ground.
In a crazed attempt to both raise her claws and cradle her injured wrist in her other arm, Nepeta flung about. Eventually she contented with scrambling backwards as her aggressor advanced on her slowly. Her insides felt like both ice and fire.
His tortuous, leisurely approach only served to further increase her terror. Every fighting instinct in her body screamed for her to fight back, but she was glued in place. The clown bent down and lowered his face so it was directly level with hers.
He regarded her coolly, a red glow emancipating from the depths of his eyes. Suddenly, the light there flickered, changed. Gamzee blinked hard and looked at Nepeta again. One moment he was inches away, and the next he had stumbled back, arms forward as if protecting himself from her. Or her from him.
"Nepeta!" he gasped, staring at her with wide orange eyes. His clothing was torn and ripped, his body bruised and bleeding, but his mind had returned. "Nepeta, you have to motherfucking get out of here! Run!"
Nepeta simply stared. So some form of Gamzee was in there somewhere. Everything was suddenly clear to her. "You'd catch me anyway," she said simply, all emotion drained from her voice.
Gamzee nodded as if he understood. He crawled over to her, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her passionately, the blood on his face smearing on hers. "I love you, Nepeta Leijon," he whispered, his voice hoarse.
"I love you, too, Gamzee," she murmured, pressing her forehead against his for the last time.
In the top edge of her vision, orange changed to red and Gamzee was suddenly standing erect, looking down at her with a blaze in his eyes. All at once, the paralyzing fear returned. Nepeta leaped around him and ran to Equius, kneeling beside him and holding his hand. She heard the heavy footfalls coming up behind her, and felt the burn as her matesprit dealt the first blow to her skull.
She fell next to Equius, and lay there, holding the hand of her moirail and being beaten to death by her matesprit.
Her eyes closed. Her vision had long since failed her. The sounds ceased bombarding her ears, surrounding her with an eerie silence. Finally, she even stopped feeling the pain. The last sense to leave was the extreme desperation that gripped her heart, and the feeling of betrayal that resonated throughout her entire body.
And then, it was all gone.