Fantastic, Kotori! You're better than ever.

this boy looking like a supervillain even as a fuzzball

Thump. A couple of final choked, gargling breaths. Silence. just the ringing in her ears. The drip, drip, drip of her blood. Snatches of air, panting and desperate. Garnet set the gun down. She'd seen the spray. She'd seen how Willow fell. No more tricks. No more, no more... Anyone. No more anyone. ...

—caught hold

Garnet rolled onto her back, shotgun grasped. Willow, a shadowy mass, lunging—

Don’t look away.

How far?

How far back? How far to go?

Her hand passed through the light. She reached, not quite, not quite—she strained, her fingers stretched out—

Couldn’t think about her hip couldn’t think about her ankle couldn’t think about her face A narrow beam of light stretched across the floor. At its edges, something glinted. Short barrel. Slim stock. One more time. Stand up, stand—her legs gave out. She slammed to the floor again. She couldn’t. Noth...

“Everyone will!”

Garnet wrenched left, into the pain—Willow’s hand skidded, tore her cheekbone bare, ground up and across her temple.

Willow’s grip broke. Her knee slid off Garnet’s shoulder.

One free arm. One last shot.

Garnet brought back her elbow with all her might.

Gears. Turning gears. She never broke even a single cog, in the end. “You’re not the final boss.” Her breath hissed, caught, flickered. “Ygh—you’re not beating the hero.” Blood streamed down her face. “N-nobody’s gonna make you the villain.” She felt it grinding, carving through flesh. “Just another...

The thoughts clawed slow and sluggish. Stun gun, Willow had still—idiot, what an idiot. Last time she got to make a mistake. Glass dug into her face, Garnet bit down on her gasp. If, if, if all she could do was, not give her a moment’s extra satisfaction then, then she, then she wasn’t. gonna. give ...

Garnet’s arm jerked. Willow’s knee pinned it down.

Garnet was dragged over. Her shoulders hit the floor. Weight pressed down on top of her.

She choked, gasped.

Her eyes opened.

Her cheek touched the floor.

Distant screeching.

Her eyes opened. What…

Her eyes closed.

Something moved nearby, scraping and kicking against the floor.

Her eyes opened.

A shadowy figure, writhing.

Her eyes closed.

Had to…

move..

“Wha—”

White out.

Garnet laughed. Didn’t sound much of one, though.

Of course she did.

Garnet limped towards the voice, groping in the dark. She could just barely see a silhouette in the gloom. One hand touched the chandelier, then Willow’s shoulder.

Her voice sounded weak.

“Still playing games? Fucking hell. We… we still doing this?”